SF 489 
.W9 R37 
Copy 1 _ 



The 
Wyandottes. 



Silver, Golden, 
White, Buff 
and Black. 



@^_ 




gttvfog Co., Phila, 



WHITE WYANDOTTES TO DATE 



Cockerel and PuJlet In First Prize Pen at the Boston Poultry, Pigeon and Pet Stock Exhibition, January. 1898. 
as bred, ov/ned and exhibited by Arthur C. Duston, Marlboro, Mass. 



Copyrighted January 1st, 1899, by the 
Reliable Poultry Journal Publlshlne Company, Qulncy, III. 



ORIGINAL AMERICAN PRODUCTIONS. 






Standard- Bred Wyandottes, 



Silver Laced, Golden Laced, White, Buff and Black. 



THEIR PRACTICAL QUALITIES; THE STANDARD 
REQUIREMENTS; HOW TO JUDGE THEM; HOW 
TO BREED AND MATE FOR BEST RESULTS. . . . 



CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE BEST KNOWN AND MOST EXPERT BREEDERS AND 

JUDGES IN AMERICA. 



FULLY ILLTJSTIR^TZEID. 



PRICE FIFTY CENTS. 



PUBLISHED BY 

THE RELIABLE POULTRY JOURNAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, 

QUINCY, ILLINOIS, 



TWO COPIES Hi- -.IVi-.i), 

Ubrtry o,f O'pngrtfk • % 

>fflC9 Of th, ' 

JAW 25 1900 

Register of CopyrlgJit* 



,Y 



DIRECTORY OF ^'^O^O 

RELIABLE WYANDOTTE BREEDERS. 



TN THE back pages of this book will be found a 
directory of the best known America breeders 
of one or more varieties of the Wyandottes. The 
breeders whose names and business announcements 
are printed therein are up-to-date and reliable. They 
are the kind of men readers of this book will find it 
safe and profitable to patronize when they wish to 
buy stock or eggs. Every breeder whose name 
appears in the list is believed by us to be square- 
dealing. 

Fraternally, 

RELIABLE POULTRY JOURNAL 
PUBLISHING CO. 



86C0WD COPY, 



COPYRIGHTED BY 
'■I' I I ABLE POULTRY .JOURNAL PUBLISHING CO.. 
DECEMBER IS, 1899. 



2. 

1 1 



SILVER LACED WYANDOTTES. 

Some General Advice to Beginners-Inbreeding-Standard Requirements Discussed Section by Section- 
Shape and Correct Marking of Feathers Illustrated by Original Charts-Method 
of Judging or Scoring-How to Cut for Defects. 



BY THEO. HEWES, JUDGE AND BREEDER, TRENTON, MISSOURI, 




N TAKING up the Wyandottes to give them a 
thorough and complete write-up, I realize the 
importance of the undertaking, and its value 
to the amateur as an educator and to the 
professional breeder as a work of reference. 
My aim is to describe the different varieties of 
this popular fowl, just as I understand them and as I believe 
the present standard intends all breeders to understand 
them- also by illustrations and explanations, to make the 
matter of scoring more clearly understood by all, and to 
make the selecting of show birds and breeders less a matter 
of guess work. The standard of 1898 has but few changes 
from the standard of 1893. To the few changes that have 
been made I will call special attention when the sections 
that are affected by the changes are under consideration. 

The illustrations in this book, so far as feathers are con- 
cerned, are, with a few exceptions, made from photographs 
from the varieties under discussion, and are just such feath- 
ers as are found by the judges at all big shows, and I believe 
are the best ever shown in book form. There is a sameness, 
to a certain extent, about some of them, but by paying close 
attention to the defects you will find they all enter largely 
into a proper understanding of the breed. 

Like will produce like, is an old saying, but it does not 
hold good in poultry breeding every time, nor any great 
number of times. If we were to mate a male to a female 
that was in every way his equal in breeding, we might with 
good reason look for like to produce like; but where we 
mate males and females together with no regard for the 
breeding back of them we will in nine cases out of ten meet 
with disappointment. It is seldom if ever that we meet 
with two birds that are just alike in all sections. They may 
look much alike from outside appearances, but on close 
inspection you will find one inferior to the other. And so 
long as outside crosses are continually resorted to we shall 
always find this varying difference. 

Why do wild birds look so near alike that it is next to 
impossible, to tell one from another? Look to nature for an 
answer. It is a case of "a survival of the fittest and the very 
closest kind of inbreeding. We also can, by judicious 
inbreeding, using nothing in our yards but the very cream 
of our flocks in shape, health, and color, come to that point 
in a few years wher.e a majority of our birds will look as 
much alike as wild birds do, both in shape and color. 

The loose, careless breeding that is followed by so many 
cannot possibly lead to permanent good. It is true we will 
get some, good specimens from almost any kind of mating, 
but the few good ones are just as liable to breed poor birds 
as good, for there is too much poor blood in their make-up 
to hold out when bred with mates that have only a shallow 
foundation with which to start. 

To be successful in poultry breeding we must at all 
times have a definite object or ideal in view and must follow 
it up with careful matings and a close attention to details 
until we establish something we can look to as a secure 



foundation. It is not necessary to raise a great quantity of 
anything to be called a success in any line of fancy stock 
breeding, but we must produce quality, and quality once 
produced must have a foundation upon which we may build 
again and again. 

How often we meet an amateur in the show room with 
a string of birds he has purchased, or has raised from eggs 
purchased from some old and careful breeder, and hear him 
tell all the secrets of breeding and the way, the only way, to 
make it a success! Watch the same breeder the next year, 
or after he has mated his own flock, and note the results. 
You will not only find the ribbons on the other coops, but 
you will see him doing a lot of quiet thinking and not nearly 
so much talking as the year before. This is how successful 
breeders are made. 

Judicious Inbreeding. 

The question of inbreeding is an important one. It can 
only be understood by a careful study of nature and of 
nature's laws. That we can go too far with it, is absolutely 
certain, but how many have done so? Few, very few, indeed. 
Many claim they have when they have not gone half far 
enough. The facts are that bad results from other causes 
are many times charged to inbreeding, and for this very 
reason I say, study nature. Often breeders will use some 
especially finely marked bird, but undeveloped in size and 
vigor, and because he breeds a lot of weak chicks, inbreed- 
ing is blamed as the cause. If left in a wild state no mate 
would have chosen this undersized weakling until he could 
hold his own with the best that came along. In other words, 
the poor little hen with less than twelve months of life has 
learned more of nature's laws than men of mature age. 

To make clear the value of inbreeding so that amateurs 
may see how far they may go with no bad results, I will 
point to a case with which I am well acquainted, where a 
breeder of Barred Plymouth Rocks introduced new blood in 
his flock only once in twelve years, and came near ruining 
his flock by doing so! He was winning every year while 
inbreeding and his birds were making a record for him in 
the yards of the best breeders in the country at the heads 
of their flocks. Do not understand that he was mating 
brothers and sisters together every time, although this was 
done many times, but he was breeding birds directly related 
all the time, and I give you my word that ten and eleven- 
pound cockerels were no uncommon sight in his yards. 

My honest opinion is that with plenty of room to handle 
a flock right, a strain of birds can be bred in line for fifty 
years without bad results. 

The Future of Poultry Culture. 

Breeding poultry for fun is one thing; breeding it as a 
source of profit sufficient to furnish a living for a family is 
quite another matter. If we are in the business for pleasure 
alone we can afford to spend money liberally, and to give to 
our fowls every luxury they may want, and no account need 







rteKEwes 

Chart . 



a,^ N M STANDARD WYANDOTTE SHAPE-MALE. 

°'<^^1^rv^^l^t [°- thi5 ?? by F / ank ' ane L ' &wdI ' sho ™* stand « d **»- 

Ereas, m r i' T I « f f ? " Pmg ^ Udng f ° r the Different Sections (Hack'e, 
Creast, Vir f , Fluff, etc.) of Silyer and Golden Wyandotte Males. 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



be kept of the expense. "We may have fine houses and 
expensive runs, and keep our poultry plant so it is really an 
ornament to the place, but when you look to poultry for 
profit the case is different. You want good, comfortable 
houses— they are essential, and the more room you give 
fowls in their runs means just so much money saved in food 
and general care. But fine houses, with gable roofs, and 
Queen Anne windows are entirely out of place and of no 
more value to you than French plate mirrors would be. The 
hen does not know how to appreciate them, and it is better 
she should not. What she wants are warm, comfortable 
quarters, and the cheapest way to furnish them is a point 
you should study if you would save money. 

I can remember, and it was not so very long ago, either, 
when the number of people in this country who made their 
entire living from the breeding of fancy poultry was very 
small. But to-day if all the people who depend on the fancy 
side of poultry culture for a living were mustered together 
they would make a fair-sized army. I know of some poultry 
plants where five men are employed the year around, and 
of quite a number where from one to three men find steady 
employment, and this does not include market poultry 
plants, where several in the west, east and south have as 
high as twenty men on the pay roll. With the steady in- 
crease in the business, there is plenty of room in this line 
of work for any intelligent, pains-taking man or woman 
who will engage in it and plan and strive for profits as they 
would in any other line of business. Do not expect that an 
investment of a few dollars will make you rich in a year. 
Do not begin at the top and go down, but invest cautiously 
at first, learn the business, then make your larger invest- 
ments and you will reap your reward. 

As for myself, I do not claim perfection, neither do I 
think I have learned it all. I am watching at every turn 
for new and better methods of breeding, and I take advan- 
tage of every opportunity that is offered. When I find 
breeders who have made a success of handling one or more 
varieties of poultry, and who show by their stock that they 
are working along lines of genuine improvement, I make it 
a point to get every bit of information from them I can, 
and in that way am enabled to not only help myself but 
those with whom I come in contact. This is not my country, 
nor your country, but our country, and it is our duty to help 
one another, and to strive to make it what it should be, the 
grandest, the most progressive country on earth. 

I will now take up the varieties of Wyandottes and 
handle them in sections as we do in the show room, begin- 
ning with the Silver Wyandotte male. As the shape of 
all varieties is alike, the shape as illustrated and described 
for this variety (see chart, No. 1) will answer for all. The 
charts here used to show ideal outlines for the Silver Wyan- 
dottes will do for all varieties of Wyandottes. The outline 
for the female is taken from a living specimen of the white 
variety, a bird owned by Mr. Arthur G. Duston, of Marlboro, 
Mass., one that was in his first prize pen of White Wyan- 
dottes at the late Boston show. 

Symmetry, or Typical Carriage. 
In scoring a Wyandotte this section is valued at eight 
points, and if found perfect it would mean an ideal bird in 
every sense of the word, so far as typical shape is concerned. 
Every section must not alone be perfect of itself, but must 
be so joined to every other section that the entire outline is 
perfectly symmetrical and typical of the breed. In chart No. 1 
is shown such a specimen, or at least as near one as any 
artist can delineate perfection. I am sure it is one that 
comes as near the proper shape of the breed, as described 
by the standard, as any ever made. I offer this as my ideal 
of shape in a Wyandotte male, and while it may not suit the 



eyes of all critics, I should be willing to pass such a speci- 
men without a cut in symmetry, if any breeder were lucky 
enough to produce one. 

The fault usually found in this section of the male is a 
poor joining together of the different sections, the specimen 
having a "thrown-together" look, as we call it. The sec- 
tions of the body that go to make up symmetry are usually 
good of themselves, not perfect, but good for a living speci- 
men — but they are so joined together that the symmetrical 
outline or breed type is broken, and the bird receives a 
severer cut than the sections alone would indicate. 

There is an old song that has been sung by Mr. Felch 
and others for years, to the effect that symmetry is a two- 
edged sword which cuts a specimen twice. This is sprung 
on the judges at nearly every show and the claim is made 
that if such and such a bird had not been cut on symmetry 
he would have won first. The exhibitor might just as well 
make the claim that if he had not been cut at all he would 
have scored one hundred points. There is just as much 
sense in one claim as in the other. The facts are simply 
these: The American Poultry Association set aside eight 
of the one hundred points for symmetry, and the man who 
consistently cuts this section is cutting on the basis of eight 
points for symmetry and is making out a score card that 
means something to the amateur and professional breeder 
alike. I claim that a judge who ignores this section in scor- 
ing is not posted on what the standard aims to teach. He is 
only allowing ninety-two points for perfection instead of 
one hundred and his footing up should be on that basis. If 
this were practiced during just one show you would see 
where these judges stand, and there would be such a fall 
that others would be glad to let the American Poultry 
Association rule instead of setting themselves up as the 
Great I Am. 

A judge has no more right to ignore symmetry than he 
has to ignore comb, wings, or any other section. The 
breeder who wants an intelligent idea of a proper score card 
should figure the symmetry cuts solely on a basis of eight 
points. When your bird loses one point in this section he 
is one-eighth bad. If he loses two points he is one-fourth 
bad, while if he loses one-half point he is only one-sixteenth 
bad. This same rule should be carefully studied in all sec- 
tions, and thus you will soon find what per cent of perfection 
you have attained in any and all sections. However, in 
many of the sections you must figure on both shape and 
color and note what per cent is allowed for both. 

In scoring symmetry if the specimen is too narrow and 
fails to round out in breast, back, and body, with a neck 
and tail too long, as is usually the case with these narrow 
birds, the cut should be from two to three and one-half 
points, according to the degree. Where the specimen is 
good in breast, tail and neck, but shows a back and body a 
trifle too long, the cut is one-half. If the specimen is good 
in all other sections except breast, and this section shows 
too flat, and fails to round out, the cut is from one-half to 
one. Where the neck and tail are too long and the tail is 
carried too high, with the neck straight and the hackle 
short, failing at junction with back, the cut is from one- 
half to one and one-half. Where the legs are too long, or 
stand too close together, giving the bird a stilty appearance, 
the cut is one-half to one. There are several minor defects 
that detract from the symmetrical outlines of a specimen, 
which are discounted by good judges, but I think those here 
described will be sufficient to give the amateur an intelli- 
gent idea of. measuring defects in this section. 
Standard Weights. 
The standard weights for all varieties of Wyandottes 
are the same and are as follows: For cocks, eight and one- 
7 



HE WY VNDOTTES. 




■ 



pounds; for cockerels, seven and one-half pounds; tor 

\ and one-half pounds; tor pullets, five and one-half 

Is. The standard sixes no credit for overweight, but 

is always best to have your birds a trifle overweight at 

exhibition time, as they in- 
variably lose a iVw ounces 
w hen cooped for exhibition, 
ami any loss under the- stan- 
ard weights will be dis- 
counted, and these are points 
thrown away. In scoring this 
section, the discount is two 
points for every pound, or in 
itio. For example, a bird that is one pound short of 
ndard weight would be cut two points; if one-half pound 
t would be cut one point, if one-quarter pound short 
t would be cut one-half point and if two pounds short, four 
points, and so on. 

Condition. 

Condition is valued at six points, and all that goes to 
ike up a perfectly healthy specimen is considered when 
ring this section. If the bird is roupy, or shows signs of 
swelled head, or has watery eyes, the cut is from one-half 
o one. If feathers are broken or dirty, the cut is from one- 
quarter to one. If the legs are scaly, one-half to one. If 
the comb or wattles are torn from fighting, one-half to one. 
Frosted combs are usually cut in this section and a check 
irk made on the score card to show in what section con- 
dition was cut. This check mark should always be made. 
on the card for the benefit of breeders who might chance to 
be away from the show. For example, the bird might be 
cut one point on condition, and the following sections be at 
fault: Legs slightly scaly, and wattles torn, etc. In such 
cases both the legs and wattles should have a check mark 
e same as condition, so that breeders may know just what 
sections the judge considered defective. 

It will not be necessary to call up this section again in 
e female of the Silvers, nor in connection with any of the 
other varieties, as the foregoing will answer the purpose 
for all. 

The Wyandotte or Rose Comb. 



1 >«' corrugated points that make a comb so handsome. This 
Style ,s now nearly extinct, except on an occasional female. 
M.cl a comb as Fig. 1 should be discounted one point 

Fig. J slu.ws a comb that has several objections. First 
It is too narrow and is too high in the center. It also runs 
on a straight line until it 
reaches the back of the head 
and then falls off suddenly. 
The corrugated points are un- 
even—in fact this comb is a 
trifle wrong in every way. 
Still it is not a bad comb to 
look at, and is one we often 
meet in the show room. Such 
a comb should be discounted' 
one and one-half points. 

In Fig. 3 we have a comb 
that is but a poor excuse at 
best and it will produce only 
Poor combs so long as you 

hrad" '7; lt U iS 7 h0ll0w in ^ center and falls all over the 
head. It forms a lump behind, then winds up with a make 

ion To' S T T bar6ly SaV6S the bM < rom di ^S- 
t.on To .core this comb properly it should be cut one 

Point for being loose on the head, one-half point for being 
too wide, one-half point for poor corrugations, one and one 

half points for the hollow 




PIG. 3. 




FIG. 4. 



The comb is without doubt one of the most important 
of the fancy sections of a Wyandotte. Commercially it has 
no value, and to a commercial buyer it will not make one 
cent's worth of Ufference whether the specimen has an ideal 
comb or a lump of meat on his head. But with fanciers it 

stly different; they will hardly accept as a gift a speci- 
men with a comb like Fig. 3, while a bird otherwise good 
and showing a comb like chart No. 1 would be doubled in 
value. 

This section is valued at eight points, and to be perfect 

be, "Rose, low, firm on the head, top oval in shape 

surface covered with small points or corrugations, 

former preferred, terminating in a small spike at the 

rear; the entire comb and 
spike curving slightly to con- 
form to the shape of the 
skull." In chart No. 1 is shown 
an ideal comb, one that fits 
'lie standard description to 
tna.z. tne letter. Such combs are 

scarce, but we do meet with 
once in a while, combs that are almost as good as the 
one shown in drawing. By careful breeding we can in time 
h a point where poor combs will be equal to the good 
ones now. = 

In Fig. 1 is shown a comb that is good in shape and out- 
line. At one time this comb was much admired, but it lacks 

8 




through the center and one- 
half point for shape of spike. 
In Fig. 4 is shown a comb 
that is very good except the 
natural absence of spike, 
which, under the new stan- 
dard, is a disqualification. 
This comb I had drawn to 
show the breeders what to 
guard against,' as this is a 
new rule in the standard and 
breeders must be careful in making up their show pens as 
this comb will throw the specimen out all together. 

In Fig. 5 is shown a neat comb, resembling in many 
respects the comb on chart No. 1, but this comb is too nar- 
row, and is shown here as a guide to breeders, as birds with 
combs of this character will almost invariably throw a per 
cent of single combs in their offspring. Ir you have a bird 
of otherwise extra merit, but with a comb of this kind be 
very careful to what style of bird you mate it, as careless 
mating here may give you no end of trouble. 
Eyes of Wyandottes. 
The standard scale of points does not make a separate 
column for eyes; they are included in the head section But 
in scoring the specimen it has 
been found to be to the inter- 
est of breeders to make a sep- 
arate line on the card so that 
they may know for what this 
section is cut. 

The standard says in the 
description of eyes, "A bright 
bay in color." This color of 
eyes is an important matter, 
and it is to the best interest 

of the breed that we watch them very closely, for weak or 
pale eyes are a sure indication of a weak constitution and 
the stronger and clearer in color you can get them the better 
for the breed and your individual strain. 

In scoring the head section the eyes are an important 
part, but I will score them here separately from the head 




FIG. 5. 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



proper, and will not refer to them while on head. If slightly 
off in color hut still showing a good trace of hay the cut is 
one-half. If pearl in color, or, as I dub it, "dead fish" m 
color, the cut is one and one-half. If one eye is good and 
the other one pearl, the cut is one. If one eye is blind, cut 
one If the eye has run out, leaving a hollow, sunken scar, 
the cut is one and one-half, one for loss of eye and one- 
half for off shape of head. 

Head of the Wyandotte. 
This section is valued at six points; it is seldom found 
defective. But in order to put the amateur right I will 
describe a few of the defects that are sometimes found. The 
head should he short with a broad crown; the face should 
be bright red in color, and the plumage a silvery white, 
with narrow centers of black. If head is too long or too 
narrow the cut is one-half to one. If the plumage shows 




FIG. 7— SHORT HACKLE FEATHER 



any 6ther color than silvery white the cut is one-half to 
one If the beak is too long or fails in a nice curve the cut 
is one-half. If the beak is solid, or is black or yellow, the 

cut is one-half. 

Wattles and Ear Lobes. 

Here is a section that has given the breeders consider- 
able trouble, especially the ear lobes. Ten years ago it was 
next to impossible to get a really good red lobe m both 
males and females, and for a long time there was little or no 
improvement in this section. The standard at that time 
disqualified a specimen for ear lobes that were more 
than one-third white. Many valuable breeding birds were 
thrown out and fanciers became almost discouraged. Poul- 
try judges could not agree on the proper amount of white 
to allow, and sometimes a bird would pass under one 
judge with a cut of one-half or one, only . to be dis- 
qualified by another judge. This of course made lots 
of discord and hard feelings, ' but at the revision meet- 
ing held at Chicago in 1893, Mr. J. H. Drevenstedt, 
Mr Ira Keller and the writer suggested to the associa- 
tion that they let this breed go through for five years and 
only disqualify for a solid white lobe. Many objected to 
this move, claiming we were going backward instead of for- 
ward but we carried our point, and to-day they can all see 
the wisdom of it, for it gave the breeders a little leeway in 
this section to help out other more important sections, and 
w° to-day have not only gotten rid of the white lobes, but 
have made greater improvements in every way than was 
then thought possible. 

This section is valued at six points. In shape, Wyan- 
dotte ear lobes usually pass as perfect. The defects in shape 
that do show up at times are uneven length of wattles m 
I males, and wattles torn by fighting. Where wattles are 
i wrinkled or uneven in length, the cut is one-half to one. 
This is not a natural defect and has no effect on the breeding 
qualities of the specimen. In color the lobes should be red 
Where they show a trace of white the cut is one-half. If 
half or more of the lobes are white the cut is from one and 
one-half to two and one-half, according to the degree. 
Neck of the Wyandotte. 
This section is valued at ten points, which are divided 
four for shape and six for color. The shape of the neck is 



usually good, except at times the specimen is discounted on 
account of the feathers not being fully developed, thus mak- 
ing a break at junction with back and spoiling the nice con- 
cave sweep so much admired by fanciers. There is one 
phrase that may as well be explained here, as amateurs will 
find it in almost every section in this breed when they refer 
to their standards. The words are "medium in length." 

Medium as applied to this breed, would be an average 
between two extremes, for instance, the neck would be a 
medium between a Game and a Cochin. A Wyandotte is 
naturally on the blocky order, not so much as a Cochin 
Bantam, but enough to be termed in poultry parlance, a 
medium. In the color of the neck section we have one of 
the very hardest things to get right. In fact, in any section 
where black and white are the predominating colors, and 
the feathers grow long, we will always experience more or 
less trouble in keeping them free from sunburn or copper 
color. The under-color of the hackle should be a dark slate, 
that is the downy part of the feather next to the skin. The 
knitted portion of the feather should be a silvery white with 
a clear black stripe through the center of the feather 
coming to a point near the extremity, the white to be clear 
and distinct and running entirely around the edge of the 
feather, making a black feather neatly and completely laced 
with white. We refer you to the chart No. 1, where you will 
see just such feathers as I have described, and you will see 
them on this picture in just such positions as you should 
find them on the living specimen. 

Fig. 7 shows a good feather with the exception 
of the white shaft, and it should he discounted 
one-half point. Fig. 8 shows a feather that is quite 
often met in this variety and one of which it is 
hard to get rid. It shows the white shaft in the same pro- 
portion as Fig. 7, but fails in the nice white edging so much 
admired, and it makes the neck look smutty with a black 
ring around it. Such a feather should be discounted two 
points, as it is useless in the breeding pen and is a disgrace 




FIG. 8— SHORT HACKLE FEATHER. 

in the show room. In scoring this section we usually find 
more or less trouble with the under-color, especially if the 
surface color is good. Many claim that the white shaft in 
the feather would be a benefit to the breed. I am slow to 
believe this, as I have found some specimens that were 
perfect on surface still holding the strong under-color to 
the =kin And if one man can breed them that way there ?s 
no excuse for the rest of us not doing as well. Where the 
feathers are good at the end and show a nice white edging, 
but lack in under-color, say one-half the length of the 
feathers, the cut would be three-fourths; if only a trace of 
white at the base of hackle, the cut would be one-fourth. 
Where feathers are good, except at the tip and then the 
black pushes through the white at tip of feather, the cut is 

one-half. 

In Fig. 9 is shown a feather that conforms so nearly to 
the standard that a judge could pass it as being perfect. 
There is a trace of white in the shaft, but taken all in all it 
is as good as any we have found. The under-color did not 
show well in the photograph owing to the light. In the 
original the under-color was good. 
9 



H1K WYANDOTTKS. 




« i I y V eUS - " " " eXt t0 imi50Ssible to 
Wtthja just right In color, that is, absolutely per- 
" '• ' h0,v !m> «»«'»■ «'o«so, ls for this failure 'in the 
«*« l " the bacta of both males and females b e 
most important one is the difference of o^k among 

^t; J** -"> institutes a standard 
»•" k and the proper way to mate to produce it One 
£an hods to one idea, and the others to som ' othe 
deas all working for the same end on different Hues 
and an more or less mWng the bloQd t lines 

matings together to produce it. I do not wish to nose 

do tMn^I Pr0P6r ° ne t0 SiVG InStrUCti0 - ^ 

I do t nt tw m01 '! CaPable than many 0the ^ but 
I do think that we should all work together on one 

line and see if we do not finally come to the right 
PO nt, and then in buying from one another we hS 
not only help the breed, but help ourselves as we?, 
have made it a point to get the opinions of the best 
breeders I meet on this important subject, and I f e 
I am giving instruction that meets their approval and 
I feel confident that one long pull together will put 
America on top again, for it is a well-known fact that 
our English cousins have excelled us so far 

The surface color of the male's back should be a 
hrZVfn "?' WU V he black ^ipes ^htly show ng 

ark sf at h h ! , ^ ThG Und - co1 - "*>uld be 
dark slate, the knitted portion of the feather should 



FIG. 9. 

FIG. 10. 

HACKLE FEATHERS-SILVER WYANDOTTE MALE. 

Fig. 10 shows the same white ^haft ™u r s+ • 

cut is from one Zt Z one * * ""* " JUnCti ° n With the back ' the 

The Back. 

I» t^llZHVim t %J™ ri °*"°'T°°. >- a vataatioB o, ten points 
from ,h "c, "no, „ * ff ano tnltaTnl" T "?• "^ » ^ h ^ » e ***" 
va.na.ion o, L tSS^^S^SZH t?t '",'"" ""* " 

DortM*. in both malfan,! fla ' L Tl ™ Y "^ K ' S °' sreM - "- 

car - — • Msmnwsssr: 

10 




FIG. 11— BACK OR SADDLE FEATHER— W 



YANDOTTE MALE. 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



be black with a narrow edging of white running entirely 
around the outer edge of feather similar to that of the 
hackle, with the exception of center of feather, which should 
have a narrow white center in the form of a diamond, see 
Fig. 11. By referring to the chart you will see those feath- 
ers just as they grow on the living specimen, and in what 
proportion the size of the diamond centers are at different 
parts of the saddle. 

In Figs. 12, 13 and 14 are shown three defective feathers, 
such as are met in every show, and which are hard to breed 
out. Fig. 12 is very good on the surface, but is too light 
underneath, and shows a white under-color. This kind of 
a back should be cut one point. Fig. 14 is better under- 
neath, but fails on the outer edge and in the diamond shaped 
center, feathers like this give the bird a kind of smutty 



Tail of the Wyandotte. 
The tail is valued at eight points, four for shape and 
four for color. In color it should be black with no trace of 
white in the tail proper. In scoring this section the color 
cuts are easily understood, as you should cut for white in 
such proportion as it appears; if solid white the cut will be 
four, if half white the cut will be two, and if one-fourth 
white the cut will be one. In shape the tail should be well 
developed, well spread at the base, and of medium length. 
Here again you find the word medium, but as this has been 
explained in the neck section it will not be necessary to go 
over it again. By being well spread at the base the tail 
carries out the full outline of the broad back, and with the 
tail coverts long and well developed makes the nice concave 
sweep from middle of back to end of tail, as shown in chart 




Fig. 12. 



Fig. 13. 

DEFECTIVE BACK FEATHERS — WYANDOTTE MALE. 



Fig. 14. 



appearance on the surface and should be discounted one 
point. Fig. 13 is a blurred feather, both on surface and 
underneath, and is one' that should be guarded against at all 
times. The white and black mingle and give the feather a 
sort of brown cast underneath, and a mossy color on the 
surface. Such a back should be discounted two points. In 
regard to shape, if the back is too long the cut is from one- 
half to one and one-half; if too narrow or pinched, giving 
the specimen a narrow consumptive look when viewed from 
the top, the cut is from one to two points, according to the 
degree. If it is roached in the center the cut is one, if scant 
in saddle the cut is one-half to one. 



No. 1. The sickles should extend over the end of tail and 
curve nicely over the top, as shown in the chart. Such tails 
are scarce indeed, but they are just what you want, and 
when you get them you invariably get the broad, short back 
so much admired. 

In Figs. 15 and 16 are shown two defective tails. Those 
like Fig. 15 are quite often met in the show room, but we 
are glad to say that such tails as Fig. 16 are seldom seen and 
they will soon be a thing of the past. Fig. 15 is too high 
and not well spread, and the sickles are too long and too 
straight. Such a tail should be discounted one and one-half 
points. Fig. 16 is what is termed a squirrel tail, as it is 



11 



Till-: W \ WlHiTTKS. 



:ril past the perpendicular line and is supported by the 
Such ■ tail is an abomination, and it should be cul 
and one-halt points. 

The Wings. 

tfal) was placed In this section by the trainers of 
the Old standard, that has brought mueh disappointment to 

the breeders of both Silver 
and Golden Wyandotte 
males. In many cases the 
wording could not be un- 
derstood by some of our 
up-to-date breeders. Turn- 
ing to your old standard 
you will find in the de- 
scription of wing coverts 
the following: "Upper web 
black, lower web white 
with a narrow black stripe 
along the edge which 
widen as it approaches the 
tip, forming a double 
spangled bar across the 
wing." 

A doubled spangled bar across the wing! Just think 
what kind of a job we are asking nature to perform when 
we demand any thing of this kind. We are asking nature 
to spangle a wing, and lace a back, breast and body. In 
other words we are asking nature to work against herself. 
The standard of 1898 has eliminated the word spangle and 
the description of the feather that formed the spangle, and 
it has inserted the word laced and described a laced feather. 
Now look again at chart No. 1. Here every feather that 
is shown has the lacing, and by adding the second row of 
feathers to the bar (it is omitted here in order to show the 
whole length of the feather) you will have as fine a barred 
wing as was ever seen and at the same time you will be 
following nature. With this chart before you it is unneces- 
sary to go much into details, and I shall only describe this 
section in such parts as are not shown here. 




FIG. IS TAIL TOO 111C.H. 

^N'ot well spread.) 




PIG. 10— SHOWING SyCIRREL TAIL. 

I call your attention to Figs. 17 and 18. These are old 
cuts u.sed in a former work on this breed, and I shall not 
consider any part of them except the wing bow and flights. 
The wing bow is sometimes called the shoulder. This part 
of the wing should be silvery white and free from brass and 
sunburn, and the white should run down to the wing bar 
and br'-ak even across the entire wing. The nights should 
be black on the upper web and white on the lower web, 

Fig 18. In Fig. 17 is shown a wing with the white 
running across the shaft and showing in that part of the 
feather that should be black. Such a wing should be dis- 
counted one point. In Fig. 19 is shown a feather that has 
the white on the extreme upper edge of the feather, and like 



Pig. 17 it should be cut one point. If the feathers that form 
the bar are not distinctly iaeed and fail in showing the bar 
as described, the out is from one-half to one and one-half. 
If the shoulders are mixed with black or copper, and fail in 
the white as shown in the cuts, the cut is from one to two 
points. In Fig. 20 is shown one of the old style spangled 
bars. It should be discounted one point. 

Breast of the Wyandotte. 
Here is another important section, especially as we 
claim much for this breed as a market fowl. It is valued by 
the standard at ten points and is divided, five for shape and 
five for color. In shape it should be broad, deep and well 
rounded; in color, black, the feathers having large white 




FIG. 17 — WYANDOTTE WING — SHOWING DEFECT OF WHITE IN FLIGHTS. 

centers and dark slate under-color. In the chart you will 
find both the color and the shape as referred to in the 
standard description. 

This chart might be just a trifle deeper in front of the 
thighs and improve the shape some, but it is so near right 
that I will not attempt to improve it. In scoring the shape 
we pay particular attention to this section, and it is cut as 
severely, if not more severely, than any other section of the 
body. If the breast is too narrow or too flat, the cut is from 
one-half to two; if the breast is wedge-shaped, failing to 
show the nicely rounded out appearance, the cut is from 
one-half to one and one-half, according to the degree. 

The breast bone is usually cut in this section, although 
it properly belongs to the body, but inasmuch as it is usually 
cut here I will call attention to it now and omit it in the 
body section. If the breast bone is slightly turned at the 




FIG. 18 — WING OF WYANDOTTE MALE— SHOWING CORRECT 
BLACK AND WHITE IN FLIGHTS. 

end the cut is one-half; if crooked so as to turn the entire 
front, the cut is from one to two. 

The feathers should be black with white centers, the 
centers large, following the form of the feathers and free 
from any outside white edging. The chart shows these 
feathers just as they should be with the right proportion of 
white and black. One of the common defects in this section 



12 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



is a frosting on the outside of the black, and small cres- 
eentic markings up near the throat. Fig. 21 shows one 
of the defective feathers quite often met in the show room. 
It should be cut one point. If a white edging appears on 
the outside of the black lacing the cut is one point. There 
is another defect that is quite common in this breed, even 
among the best laced birds, namely, a wide band of white 
down where the breast joins the body, caused by the feath- 
ers failing to lace up properly. 
When this defect appears it should 
receive a cut of from one-half to one 
and one-half points. 

Body and Fluff. 

This has been rather an unim- 
portant section and it was seldom 
cut for color or shape, but the new 
standard calls for a male bird laced 
on the thighs and following well 
round under the vent. So it will in 
the future be considered of consid- 
erable importance, for in order to get good lacing on 
other sections it is of importance that we get every feather 
laced as perfectly as possible. 

By referring to the chart yoa will see that the male in 
both the silver and golden varieties is destined to be a 
much handsomer bird than formerly, and the breeder who 
has been giving this body lacing attention will reap a bene- 



If the specimen is narrow or contracted, the cut is from 
one-half to one and one-half; if shallow, not extending well 
down, the cut is from one-half to one. If the leathers fail 
to lace up properly and show only an occasional laced 
feather the cut is one point; if the lacing is c.rescentic in 
shape, or the feathers show an outside lacing of white, the 
cut is one. If no lacing appears on the body or fluff the cut 
is one and one-half. 





FIG. 20 — WHITE FEATHER SHOWING OLD STYLE SPANGLED BARS. 

fit by the improvement called for by the new standard. In 
shape the bird should be deep in body and wide, deep 
enough to give the specimen a rounded out appearance, and 
broad enough to give plenty of room between the thighs. 



FIG. 19 — FLIGHT FEATHER FROM MALE — SHOWING DEFECTIVE WHITE ON EXTREME UPPER EDGE. 

Legs and Toes. 

In looking at the chart one will think the legs on the 
specimen are too large, and not in proportion, but those legs 
were made to represent a large, well-balanced bird, and to 
my eye they are one of its chief charms. When I can get a 
good sized bone in the leg of my Wyandotte I am sure of 
getting a strong, vigorous bird, and I consider it of vast 
importance that we breed entirely away from the small 
Leghorn style of shank that has become quite common in 
our Wyandotte families. 

The thighs should stand well apart, and show up strong, 
with an abundance of meat on them. If narrow and con- 
tracted the cut is one 
point; if standing too 
close together the cut is 
one-half point; if the 
toes are crooked or de- 
formed the cut is from 
one-half to one and 
one-half. If the thighs 

are not laced as shown in the chart, but show only a dark 
slate color the cut is one point, if partly laced one-half 
point. If the shanks are spotted or shade to willow the cut is 
from one-hak to two. Remember that any trace of feathers 
or down on shanks or toes disqualifies the specimen. 




FIG. 21 — DEFECTIVE BREAST FEATHER. 



SILVER LACED WYANDOTTE— FEMALE. 



I present in connection with this description of the 
Wyandotte female a chart that for correct standard color 
of the silver variety has never been equaled. In shape this 
chart does not suit me so well as that of the male, because 
this cut is a little too long, in fact it is a trifle overdrawn. 
But should you get as good a living specimen you need have 
no fear of not being among the winners in the best of com- 
pany. This chart was made from a sketch of the first prize 
White Wyandotte pullet at Boston, owned and bred by Mr. 
Mr. Arthur G. Duston, of Marlboro, Mass. It not only 
represents the correct standard color, but it is the color you 
can depend on in the silver variety to give you first-class 
exhibition females if good judgment is used in the selection 
of the male. In Wyandottes, as well as in most of the other 
varieties, the males are the more valuable so far as a money 
consideration is concerned. But in producing first-class 



exhibition specimens of either the silver or golden varieties, 
it is considered by breeders to be more of an honor to get 
the females right, in fact, a breeder who gets in the money 
class with his females at the big shows, is indeed a lucky 
exhibitor. In scoring the female here I shall omit the 
golden variety, as the same color is called for in both the 
silver and golden, with the exception of substituting the 
word gold for silver. Our aim is to make this book plain 
and easily understood without going any further into 
minute detail that is absolutely necessary. For this reason 
I have adopted the form of questions and answers, which I 
feel will take the place of long descriptions and be of more 
practical value to the reader. 

I will now ask you to turn to chart No. 2 and study it 
carefully. Remember the color here illustrated is consid- 
ered perfect, and it is so shown on each section that you can 



13 




[OPYMHTED BY 
- TME - 

Himm 
Poultry 

I6J3 



STANDARD WYANDOTTE SHAPE-FEMALE. 

Chart No- 2 -Copyrighted Hewes' Chart, Designed Expressly for this Book by Franklane L. Sewell, Showing Standard Wyan- 
dotte Female Shape fall varieties); also Standard Striping and Lacing for the Different Sections (Hackle, 
Breast, Wing, Fluff, Etc. ) of Silver and Golden Wyandotte Females. 



14 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



see at a glance just what kind of color is required in all 
sections. Do not overlook the important point that you 
must have as much under-color as shown here if you expect 
the hird to hold its color and not fade. 

Question — What do you mean hy fading? 

Answer — In all parti-colored specimens there is a con- 
stant drain en the system to supply the coloring matter, and 
the natural tendency is to grow lighter. If we do not look 
carefully after our birds when they molt we shall find that 
the feathers will come in nearly white, or with a crescentic 
marking instead of a lacing, or as poultrymen term it, they 
have faded. 

Q. — How would you avoid this fading? 

A. — By breeding only from specimens that show a good 
slate under-color, and whose feathers show a rich metallic 
luster in the black instead of a dead or dirty brown or black, 
as is often the case. 

Q.— Cannot the black be carried too far in mating as 
well as the white? 

A. — Yes. There is just as much trouble in one direction 
as in the other. 

Q. — How much of each color is correct? 

A. — What does the chart show? There you see fifty per 
cent white and fifty per cent black, and that is just what 
you want. 

Q— The chart shows more white than black, does it 
not? 

A.— No. The outside of the feather is larger and makes 
the feathers look that way at a glance, but if you will study 
them a moment you will see there is as much of one color 
as the other. 

Q. — Does this equal proportion of color come in all 
sections? 

A. — No, only in the neck, back, breast, body and wing 
coverts. 

Q- — How about the tail and wings, what per cent of 
color do you want there? 

A.— The tail proper should be black, the tail coverts 
black edged with white (see chart). Now do not get mixed 
up on this description of tail coverts. Notice particularly 
where the feathers lie that show this white edging. They 
are not a part of the back or cushion, but form a row of 
feathers that fit in between the tail and cushion the same as 
in a Brahma. The wing bow or shoulder is half black and 
half white the same as the back, but the primaries are black 
edged with white (see chart), while the secondaries are 
black on the upper web and white on the lower web — about 
equally divided in color. 

Q. — Does not the neck of the female show more black 
than white? 

A.— No. In addition to the white outside lacing (which 
should run entirely round the lower end of the feathers and 
not blunt off as is often the case), there is a narrow inside 
lacing, which the standard allows, and which you must have 
if you expect to breed well-laced feathers on all sections. 

Q. — Can you show us some of those laced feathers? 

A. — Yes. But I shall pass them by for a time and call 
them up in their proper place and fully describe them. I 
shall now take the bird section by section and give a general 
idea of the defects and a proper valuation of the same. 

Symmetry, or typical carriage, weight and condition 
have been fully described in writing of the males, so it will 
not be necessary to refer again to them as the cuts are the 
same in the female as in the male and when defects occur 
the percentage of discount is the same. 

The head is the same as that of the male, except it is 
neater and more in keeping with the sex. There are some 



defects shown in the cuts of combs, but I shall pass them 
now and call attention to them a little later. 

Comb of the Wyandotte Female. 

From a fancy point of view there is no section on a 
Wyandotte of any color that is so uniformly defective in 
shape as the comb. In ten years of judging I believe I could 
count on the fingers of one hand all the Wyandotte combs 
that I have passed as perfect. Breeders are not entirely to 
blame for this, as we have tried to produce something con- 
trary to nature in many respects, and it is only in the past 
few years that our breeders have decided on a type that they 
are willing to consider proper. From now on we may look 
for more improvement. I can notice in my own yards that 
the low, flat comb coming to a point in the rear, is gradu- 
ally doing away with many of the defects that gave me 
trouble in the past. 

From a fancy point of view, there is nothing that adds 
so much to the beauty of this breed as a well shaped, well 
balanced comb and I am glad to see the effort that is being 
put forth to improve this section. The standard description 
of this section is plain and easy to understand. It is the 
same as for the male, only the female comb is much smaller. 
"Rose, low, firm on the head, top oval in shape and the sur- 
face covered with small points or corrugations, the former 
preferred, terminating in a small spike at the rear; the 
entire comb and spike curving slightly to conform to the 
shape of the skull." 

Fig. 1 A shows just such a comb 
as the standard describes and so 
does chart No. 2. The head of Fig. 

1 A is a little too shallow, that is, 
not quite deep enough through from 
top of skull to eyes. You will find 
this section better illustrated in 
chart No. 2, in fact, I consider the 
head in the chart to be the best one 
Mr. Sewell has ever given us. Fig. 

2 A shows a comb and head that are 
both defective and they are joined to a poorly shaped neck 
and have as an ornament a poor pair of ear lobes and wat- 
tles. The head is bullet shaped, with 
the lower mandible too short, giving 
a poor curve to the beak. It should 
be discounted one point in scoring 
the head section. The ccmb is un- 
even and irregular, with a poor 
spike at the back, and the spike, 
turns up at the end instead of fol- 
lowing the shape of the skull. 

Q. — What would you discount 
this comb? 

A. — Two points. 
Q. — For what defect or defects? 

A. — One point for the hollow in the center of comb, one- 
half point for uneven edges and the blunt 
portion where it terminates in a spike, 
and one-half point for ill-shaped spike. 

In Fig. 3 A is shown another form of 
defect that is often met in this breed and 
one that if the standard is properly ap- 
plied makes a severe cut or discount. As 
is usual in combs of this kind it is carried 
on a poor shaped head and neck, in fact 
one follows the other almost as surely as 
day follows the night. The head is too high at top of skull 
and falls in front of the eyes, in fact it reminds one of a 
half-witted brute that only knows enough to eat. Such a 





FIG. 2\. 




15 



THE YYYANDOTTES. 




fh;. 4a. 



bead should be discounted one point. The comb is too nar- 

r, has a hollow in front ami seems to break in two in the 
middle. The front end has a Slight showing of points on 
top. bat the back part is smooth and high in the center. 

Q What would you discount such a comb? 

V -Four points. 

Q Please explain such a heavy tut as that. You are 
cutting away fifty per cent of the comb when you cut four. 
\ Fes, 1 am cutting away titty per cent ami it is a 

question if 1 should not cut more. In the first place the 
comb is one-halt out for poor outlines, one out for hollow 
in the center at front, two out for the break in the middle, 
and one-half out for smooth surface on top. 

In Fig. 4 A is shown still 
a not her type of head and comb 
and one that I am glad to say 
is not so often seen, still we 
find them once in awhile, so I 
show it here and give it a 
valuation. This is what we call 
a game or snake head, and 
you will notice that every 
thing about it is in harmony — 
long, straight beak, shallow skull, narrow, pinched comb 
and scant wattles. Such a head should be discounted one 
and one-half points and should never be used in the breed- 
ing pens. The comb in Fig. 4 A is one that has done a great 
deal of harm in the breeding pen, as it is almost sure to 
produce a lot of single combs. It is hollow in front, is 
smooth on top and is too long and snaky for its width. 
Such a comb should be cut two points — one point for being 
narrow and one point for the hollow in front and curved up 
spike at rear. With the illustrations of the perfect and 
defective combs before you I do not believe it will be neces- 
sary to go further with the description of this section. 
Wattles and Ear Lobes. 
This section has been fully described in the discussion 
of the male, and it will not be necessary to call it up again, 
as the cuts for defects in one 
sex fall just as severely on the 
other. 

The Neck of the Wyandotte 
Female. 

Here is a section that in 
the female is usually good 
with the exception of the lac- 
ing on the lower part of the 
feathers, which will insist on 
running blunt at the point 
and showing us a dark, smut- 
ty ring where it should be sil- 
very white. This section is 
valued at ten points and is di- 
vided, four for shape and six 
for color. In shape it is al- 
most invariably good when 
the specimens are matured. 
Once in a while w< find a few 
minor d a shape but not 

often. Where the neck is too 
long or gamy the cut. is from 
one-half to one. Where it. 
breaks at the Junction of the 
bac^ on account of the feath- 
ers of the hackle not being 
full the cut is one-half. When 
we find what we term a 
bull neck, such as is shown 



in Fig. 2 A the cut is one. In color the neck should be sil- 
very white, each feather having a black center with a 
narrow outside white edging running entirely round the 
lower end of feather, and the standard says it may have a 
white shafting. You can see the white shafting in chart 
No. 2. If there were even more of it I should consider it 
better. 

In Fig. 22 is shown a feather with a good outside white 
edging and it is considered a good feather for the center of 
neck but it fails in under-color. It is one of the defects to 
which I have before referred and it should be discounted one 
point. In Fig. 23 is shown a better feather taken from the 
same part of the neck and one that in justice to the bird 
could not bo discounted. Fig. 24 is another good feather 
taken from the neck, where that section joins the back. It 
is one of the best I have found with one exception, the 
white center is not large enough. I should prefer more 
white in the shaft of the feather. However, you could not 
discount this feather by the standard. 

Back of Wyandotte Female. 

Here is the most important section in a Wyandotte, not 
alone in shape, but also in coloi. Unless this section is 
fairly good you can never hope to make very radical 
improvements in your breeding. In shape it should be 
"short, broad and flat at shoulders, slightly cushioned; 
plumage abundant." In color it should be "under-color 
dark slate. Web black, with medium white centers; the 
black to be free from white, outside lacing; the white must 
be free from black or brown penciling; the black lacing to 
be sharply defined." Remember that the instructions to 
judges compel them to cut one point for white edging in all 
sections where it appears. 

Referring to chart No. 2 you will notice the way these 
feathers overlap and what a handsome color you get from 
such a lacing. When you go to the extreme in this section 
you get a back that resembles the four feathers that are 
illustrated just back of the laced feathers, and then you 
have what is. called the open or Sebright lacing. In order to 









PIG. 22. 



FIG. 23. 



FIG. 24. 



HACKLE FEATIIEKS — SILVER WYANDOTTE FEMAEE. 

16 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



get this Sebright lacing you must sacrifice under-color and 
when you do this the first thing you know your color has 
faded as will hereafter he shown, and you have to 
go back again to black blood for help. I have no desire to 
injure the breeding of this Sebright color, but I warn young 





FIGS. 25-26— BACK FEATHERS— SILVER WYANDOTTE FEMALE. 

~" '_' ., Showing Ivight Under-color, which should be avoided. 

fanciers and especially amateurs from going too far with it. 
It is not standard, and in order to get it you must sacrifice 
one of your very important breeding points — under-color. 
It is dangerous for an amateur to experiment. What I say 
is especially true of the silver variety, as the golden seem to 
hold their open lacing with less show of fading. This is 
accounted for in a measure by the fact that the sun does 
not have the same effect on the ground color of gold as it 
does on the silver. 

In shape I should prefer a back a trifle shorter than the 
one shown in chart No. 2, in fact this breed is one of the 
shortest for its depth that we have in the standard, and 
when we get them that way we are getting a standard fowl 
and one that is strikingly beautiful. I do not know of a 
single breed that possesses so many good qualities for their 
weight as the Wyandotte. If a back is too long or too nar- 
row the cut is from one-half to one and one-half, according 
to degree. Where the back is deficient in cushion, making 
it look long and straight, and it fails to make the nice con- 
cave sweep so much admired in this breed, the cut is from 
one to one'and one-half. 

Q. — You spoke of faded feathers in the back. Will you 
show us some feathers of this kind so we may better under- 
stand? 

A.— Yes. I will call your attention to Figs. 2.6, 27 and 
29. In feathers 26 and 29 you see the white has faded out 
at the edges, making a sort of crescentic or half-moon lacing 
and in feather 26 notice the light under-color that is almost 
sure to follow the extreme in mating. It is the color 
against which I have warned you. 

Q— What about feather 27? 

A. — This is a sample of a mixed feather, such as you 
will find in these open laced birds. It is neither white nor 



black, but a kind of dirty brown, and it is offensive to the 
eye of a fancier. 

Q. — What would you discount feathers 27 and 29? 
A. — I should discount feather 27 two points, one point 
for the brown penciling inside the white and one point for 
indistinct color in the black, that is, brown where 
it should be black. 

Q. — What would you discount feather 26? 
A. — One point, one-half for white under-color 
and one-half for white running to the edge of the 
feather at the sides. 

Q. — What would you discount feather 25? 
A. — One-half point for light under-color. 
Q— What about feather 28? 
A. — I should pass that feather as perfect, be- 
cause it has the right per cent of white and black, 
and is clear cut and distinct. That is the kind of 
a feather we want on a Wyandotte female's back. 
Q. — What would you discount feather 30? 
A. — If all the feathers in the. back were that 
color I should discount it one point, as there is too 
much black there, in fact, it is nearing the other 
extreme. 

Q. — What would you cut feather 31? 
A. — I should discount this feather one and one- 
half points, one point for penciling in the white 
center and one-half for the light under-color. 
Feather 31 has about the right per cent of white 
and black, but the colors are poorly divided and it 
makes a poor showing when compared to feath- 
er 28. 

Q. — Kindly explain about the long feathers up 

near the tail that are called tail coverts. Can you 

give us some idea how they should be before we 

leave this section? 

A. — First let me call your attention to feathers 32 and 

33. Here are two feathers that are both defective and which 

would receive the same discount though they have different 

markings. Fig. 32 would be cut one and one-half points for 

black penciling and too small a center, one point for the 

penciling and one-half point for the small center. Fig. 33 

would be discounted one point for the black penciling, and 

one-half point for the white running to the edge on the 




FIGS. 27-28-29— FEATHERS FROM BACK OF SILVER WYANDOTTE FEMALE. 

Fig. 27 should be cut for spotches. Fig. 28 may be called perfect. 
Fig. 29 shows too much white. 

right hand. side. Feathers 34 and 35 are good feathers for 
this part of the back. They are not quite so well propor- 



17 



THE WYANDOTTES. 




FIGS. 30-31 — DEFECTIVE HACK FEATHERS — SILVER WYANDOTTE FEMALE. Fig. 30 

has too much black. Fig. 31 has black, and white poorly divided. 



feathers, that is, you want more white than black, 
in fact, you should get just as much white as you 
can so long as you get the clear outside lacing of 
black. You will find this is not a hard task so far 
as the large centers are concerned, but there are 
many other defects that you must guard against 
at the same time. One of the worst of these is the 
outside edging of white, and since the standard 
cuts one point for it we must do our best to get rid 
of it if we expect high scores on our laced Wyan- 
dottes. Another point to consider is this: We 
have three distinct kinds of feathers in the breasts 
of our females:, and each kind has its own peculiar 
defects. The first one is the short laced feathers 
under the throat, which will insist on lacing round 
like the hackle feathers, and quite often the white 
will run out to the edge, blurring the feather and 
making this part of the breast look splotchy. Just 
such a feather as I mean is shown in Fig. 36, and it 
should be discounted one point, that is, it should 
receive this cut if only the short feathers of the 
apper breast are affected. If the entire breast were 
like that the cut should be three points. In Fig. 41 
is shown a perfect feather for this section and a 
comparison of the two shows you how important it 
is to get this section right. 

As the feathers approach the center of the 
breast they become longer and broader, and the 
centers widen out in proportion to the size of the 
feather. Figures 42, 43 and 44 are three feathers 
from this part of the breast. Feather 43 is what I 
should term standard or perfect, and it would pass 
without a discount, while feather 42 should receive 



tioned as they should be, but the black and 
white are clean cut and I should not discount 
either of them. 

Q. — You spoke of the other extreme in 
color and too dark mating. Will you show 
us a few feathers that will illustrate what 
you mean? 

A.— Feathers 36, 37, 38 and 39 show just 
what you may expect if you carry this dark 
mating too far. Fig. 39 is only a white shaft 
and it should be discounted one and one-half 
points. Feathers 37 and 38 are no good at 
all, as they are neither white nor black, but 
a mixture of black and brown. When you 
find a back like this it should be discounted 
three points. Feather 36 should be dis- 
counted one and one-half points, one point 
for small center and one-half point for pen- 
ciling inside the white. 

I believe that I have now explained this 
section so the amateur can readily under- 
stand it. By referring to the feathers from 
time to time you will have no trouble in mat- 
ing or in selecting your best bird for show. 
There are several sections almost like the 
back and I shall not go so deeply into them, 
but I shall refer to this section from time to 
time. 

Breast of Wyandotte Female. 

This section is also a very important 
one, and you may consider what was said of 
the back applies to this section also. There 
are, however, some defects common in this 
on that arc different, from those of the 
back and in order to give you a clear under- 
standing of them I will describe them now. 
You want a clear, open center in the breast 




II'. S. 32-33 — BACK FEATHERS SILVER WYANDOTTE FEMALE — SHOWING IMPERFECT 1 MARKINGS. 

18 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



a cut of one point for outside edging of white, and 
feather 44 a cut of one for the penciling of black in 
the white. 

Along the lower part of the breast near the body- 
is found still another form of feather which has its 
own peculiar markings and defects. These feathers 
are much longer than the others and the white centers 
are nearer the outer end of the feathers. It looks as 
though nature were proud of this lacing and pushed it 
out where it could be seen to better advantage instead 
of covering it up, which she would do if the white 
were in the center of the feathers. Feathers 45 and 
46 are taken from the lower part of the breast. 
Feather 45 is very good and it would pass as standard 
while feather 46 shows the defect so common in this 
section, that is, the white runs out at the side, making 
a kind of half-moon lacing. It should be discounted 
one point. 

The shape to be perfect must be broad, deep and 
well-rounded. Chart No. 2 is perfection in this sec- 
tion. If the breast is flat or narrow, giving the bird a 
sort of consumptive look, the cut is from one to two 
according to degree. If it is not deep enough through 
from point of back to keel bone the cut is one. If the 
breast bone is crooked, the cut is from one to one and 
one-half. 

This section has in the past had too much impor- 
tance attached to it by the standard, in fact as many 
points were allowed to this section as to the back, but 
at the last revision this was changed and the body was 
given a valuation of six points and the two points 
formerly given to it were placed on the more impor- 
tant section of back. In shape it is usually good. 
However, we sometimes find too narrow a body be- 
tween the legs and the discount is one point. When 
the body is too long the cut is one; if scantily feathered, giv- 
ing the specimen a scanty appearance when viewed from be- 
hind, the cut is from one-half to one. The body should be 
black or dark slate, with narrow white centers. So should be 
the feathers that cover the thighs and that run back into the 
fluff. Feathers 47 and 48 are two good feathers, with the 
black and white properly proportioned. As the feathers 
begin to mix with those of the fluff proper they gradually 
lose these centers and are a sort of pepper and salt color, 
or, as we term it, a black powdered with gray. 
Wings of Wyandotte Female. 
While this is a very important section in the breeding 




FIGS. 34-3S— MEDIUM GOOD BACK FEATHERS — SILVER WYANDOTTE FEMALE. 

of this variety, Artist Sewell has done his work so well in 
chart No. 2 that it is useless for me to go into a lengthy 
description. Every point in this section is shown to perfec- 
tion in the chart. There is a perfect wing with every feather 
as it should be and just as you will find them on a well- 





figs. 36-37-38-39 — feathers from silver wyandotte back (female). 
Showing Result of Extreme Dark Matings. 



FIG. 40 — DEFECTIVE BREAST FEATHERS — SILVER WYANDOTTE FEMALE.' 

One has too much white; the other too little. 



19 



THK \\ Y.WDOTTES. 




bred specimen. If you are 
striving for the laced wing 
bars on your cockerels, re- 
ferred to by me in the de- 
Bcrlptlon of male, you can 
gel them by using just 
such a wing bar on your 
females as here illustrated. 
Remember the Bight feather should be black on the 
upper web, and white on the lower web, see the one feather 
protruding from the wing. The secondaries are white on 
the lower web. with the exception of a narrow lacing of 
black (.see cut), and black on the upper web. Should white 



II— ri'KiKcr BRSAST FEATHER, 
sn VI K \\\ INDOTTE FEMAJ r. 




FIGS. 42-43— H FEATHERS FROM~CENTER OF BREAST, SILVER LACED 

Wyandotte. Fig. 43 shows perfect type. 

appear in the upper web of flight feathers the cut is from 
one-half to one and one-half. Should black appear in the 
white of secondaries, making a sort of pepper and salt color, 
the cut is from one-half to two. Should there be an edging 
of white on the outside of the wing coverts, or should the 
centers be penciled with black, the cut is one point. The 
feathers on the upper part of shoulders are small and grad- 
ually grow larger as they approach the bar or center of 
wing. Feather 49 is a feather such as you will find 
on. the upper part of a wing, while feather 50 is 
one you will find down near the center of the shoul- 
der, where Mr. Sewell has just laced the outside 
edges. 

Tail of Wyandotte Female. 

This is an easy section to understand, so far as 
color is concerned, as the tail proper and greater 
coverts are for should be) solid black. Feather 5i 
is one often met in scoring this variety. It shows 
a white lacing at the lower end of the feather and 
such a tail should be discounted one point. Feather 
52 is a defective feather quite often found in the 
greater coverts. It has a dirty brown color and 
should be discounted one and one-half points. 
Legs and Toes. 

Not one- time in a hundred is a Wyandotte fe- 
male discounted for shape of legs. They are almost 
invariablv good in that respect. The trouble we 
have j to get them yellow enough without getting 
the black or green spots which are so characteristic 
of the American class. In color they should be yel- 

and when black or green spots appear on them 
the cut is from one-half to one and one-half. If 




FIG. 40 — FEATHER FROM UPPER PART OF WING, 
SILVER WYANDOTTE FEMALE. 

the legs are scaly or in bad condition from frosted or miss- 
ing toes, the cut is from one-half to two. 

Not one time in a hundred is a Wyandotte female dis- 
counted for shape of legs. They are almost invariably good 
in that respect. The trouble we have is to get them yellow 
enough without getting the black or green spots which are 
so characteristic of the American class. In color they should 
be yellow, and when black or green spots appear on them 
the cut is from one-half to one and one-half. If the legs are 
scaly or in bad condition from frosted or missing toes, the 
cut is from one-hal* to two. 

I believe the av- 

tiwJ ■-'./// 



erage breeder can 
form a very good 
idea of the defects in 
the silver and golden 
varieties by a careful 
perusal of these 
pages, and I shall 
not dwell longer on 
them, but I will take 
up the question of 
mating and in as few 
words as possible give some ideas about the course my judg- 
ment and experience has taught me is the best to pursue. 
Mating Wyandottes. 
First, gcod birds of both sexes can be produced from a 
single mating, but it is a question if as many good ones can 
be produced from it as from the double mating. Let it be well 
understood that no matter how good your matings are you 
will find more or less poor birds will result from them. My 
own experience has been that a light hen, that is, a bird 




FIG. SO— WING FEATHER, NEAR SHOULDER, 
SILVER WYANDOTTE FEMALE. 



1 

1 \. 

v. 1 m 










jfjf\ 


















H ■ V' 












^*> ^^^^EX^ * 


^9 j '^* 




M ' 


^f^K^^'- 


\ 


/ 






i 


/ 












» 









PIGS. 45-46-47-48— feathers from silver wyandotte female. 
Xos. 45 and 46 are from breast; 47 and 48 from top of thigh. 



20 



THE VVYANDOTTES. 



with rather open centers in its feathers, will give me my 
best pullets if mated to a male whose breast feathers have 
open centers, but who has a rather dark back. The cockerels 



with good diamond centers in the back, and a breast that is 
at least two shades darker than the female. To this male I 
should mate a female as much like chart No. 2 in color as I 







FIG. 51 — TAIL COVERT, SILVER WYANDOTTE FEMALE. 

Discounted for lacing- of white. 

from this cross have never been quite so good, but I can by 
mating a dark hen to a medium light colored male get good 
cockerels with a small per cent of good pullets. A real dark 
mating will give a good per cent of good males, while the 
females are of little value. 

My own experience in mating has convinced me that the 
best results from a single mating may be expected from a 
male and a female a trifle apart in color but not extreme. I 
should select a male with a good shape and a good eye above 
all else. Then get a good clear stripe in back and hackle 




FIG. 52— GREATER TAIL COVERT, SILVER WYANDOTTE FEMALE. 

The Dirty, Brown Color shown here is a common defect. 

could find, and as good in shape and comb as possible. I 
should use for a mating like this, a female with a comb that 
is a trifle coarse if I expected good males and females both. 
When I say coarse I do not mean an ill-shaped comb, 
but a comb a trifle larger than we would want on an exhibi- 
tion specimen. From such a mating as this you may rea- 
sonably expect a fair per cent of both males and females. 

THBO. HEWES. 





21 




CopymCHTfD 
Br thb- 

REUA8I.H Poultry- journal 



STANDARD WYANDOTTE SHAPE-MALE. 

"A Composite Ideal From Live Models"- As Submitted by the Reliable Poultry Journal for the Criticisms of Judges and Breeders. 



22 



WYANDOTTE SHAPE-MALE. 



Criticisms of Foremost Poultry Judges and Prominent Breeders on "Composite Ideal Wyandotte Male Shape, from Live 

Models," as Drawn by Artist Sewell. 




| HE RELIABLE POULTRY JOURNAL published in 
December, 1896, and January, 1897, a pair of draw- 
ings made by Mr. Franklane L. Sewell, the world's 
greatest poultry artist, showing to the best 
"^- of his ability, correct Wyandotte shape, male 
and female, as required by the American Standard of 
Perfection. For the benefit of the beginner, 
permit us to say that all Wyandottes, including 
the Silver, Golden, White, Buff and Black vari- 
eties, are required to be alike in shape; hence 
what is perfect or standard shape for the one 
variety is also for the other varieties. Exact 
proofs of these drawings were then sent by the 
Reliable Poultry Journal to the best-known 
poultry judges and the foremost Wyandotte 
breeders of America, with the request that they 
approve or disapprove of same, according to 
their interpretation of the standard. Nearly 
seventy of the judges and breeders favored the 
Journal with replies. After reading these crit- 
icisms, Artist Sewell, by previous arrangement, 
modified his drawings, so that the corrected 
drawings, shown in this book, more nearly rep- 
resent the accepted ideas of correct standard 
shape for Wyandottes than any previously pre- 
sented. 

Following are the criticisms of the judges 
on the drawing of the male, as first submitted: 

W. S. Russell, Ottumwa, Iowa: "The draw- 
ing of the male I would accept as ideal with the 
following alterations: Hackle should be a little 
more abundant, from the drawing it appears 
broken, or not developed; the comb extends out 
on the beak a little too far." 



he ever saw. If that outline pleased him I am at a loss to 
know why he introduces a bird so much longer in body and 
back. I would add just a trifle to the lower part of the 
breast of Cloyd and a few feathers to the neck (where you 
can see they are missing) and use it as an ideal in prefer- 
ence to the one Mr. Sewell has given us here. 



H. S. Babcock, Providence, R. I., judge and 
breeder: "My criticism upon the male Wyan- 
dotte illustration can be summed up in three 
words, not blocky enough. There is too much 
of the V shape in the figure. This V shape we 
expect in Langshans, but the Wyandotte has 
won and retains its reputation upon the block- 
iness of-its build. Take that away and its repu- 
tation will be dissipated." 




Theo. Hewes, Trenton, Mo., judge and 
breeder: "In regard to the Silver Wyandotte 
cuts I would say that if Mr. Sewell would place 
their heads against a solid wall and hit them in 
the rear with a pile driver he would come nearer to 
getting my idea of a Wyandotte. Why he wants us to 
accept as a Wyandotte a bird that is long enough for a Java, 
I cannot understand. I will ask you to reproduce the cut 
of the cockerel "Cloyd." This bird was sketched from life 
by Mr. Sewell and pronounced by him to be one of the best 



SILVER WYANDOTTE COCKEREL CLOYD " 

This is the cockerel referred to by Mr. Hewes in his criticism on Mr. Sewell's ideal 

cut presented herewith. The bird was bred by Mr. Hewes and sketched 

from life by Mr. Sewell. 



"The color is much overdrawn. The standard calls for 
a bird with a light breast, or large, open centers, growing 
smaller from front to rear. Those Sebright lacings are not 
standard and there is nothing in the standard that can be 
taken to mean that they are. We do not want any doubt 
about this variety. The standard requirements must be 
plain as day. This is the Wyandotte section of America. 



23 




CopyftiOHTfrD 
Br th& 

REU/IBUE PouuTRr JOURNAL 



STANDARD WYANDOTTE SHAPE-MALE. 

Changed to Meet the Criticisms of Judges and Breeders 



24 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



To-day I saw Mr. F. W. Hitchcock score two pullets at 95 
points, and there are lots more very near that mark. If the 
boys down east want hot competition let them bring their 
birds to some of the large western shows. We might not 
win, but they would know that they had company." 



Charles McClave, New London, Ohio, judge and breeder: 
"The symmetry of the male is good; comb is good, but a 
trifle too far over the beak, covering the nostrils; head is 
good; ear lobes are too small; wattles are all right. Shape 
of neck is perfect; back is good enough; breast has a true 
Wyandotte shape; wings are all right; tail is good, but a 
. trifle long; the shanks are good; middle toe is too long. The 
general outline is that of a typical ideal Wyandotte male. 
In this work Mr. Sewell has certainly produced a Wyandotte 
male reaching very near the 100 point mark. I consider this 
the greatest drawing Mr. Sewell has executed. This line of 
work is attracting wide-spread attention." 



F. H. Shellabarger, West Liberty, Iowa, judge and 
breeder: "In most respects the male cut is grand, but we 
think the back is a trifle long— the standard calls for a short 
back on a Wyandotte. If the tail were set forward on the 
back three-eighths of an inch, the back and saddle would 
then be long enough, and the wing would look longer. We 
believe it would make the proportions of the cut better, as 
the body would appear shorter, which is in accord with the 
standard, which calls for a short body." 



F. J. Marshall, Sunnyside, Ga., judge and breeder: "The 
drawing of the Wyandotte male sent suits me to a dot, and 
I am not going to find fault with it just for the name of the 
thing. I like it very much, and I think if we could breed 
50 per cent of our stock like it we could make money out of 
it, the first year anyway." 

C. A: Einry, Carthage, Mo., judge and breeder: "Comb 
is too full in front and is set too far forward on the beak and 
head. The fluff is too scant." 



F. B. Zimmer, Gloversville, N. Y., judge and breeder: 
"We consider the illustration of the Wyandotte male a good 
one, and if a breeder could breed them as near perfection in 
shape as this illustration, his birds would be considered 
'clinkers' and score 'well up in the nineties,' providing the 
color was as good as shape. It seems to me, however, that 
the comb lies too flat on the base of beak and spreads (like 
combs we have often seen) over the nostrils. Again, to us, 
the bird illustrated has the appearance of being narrow be- 
hind the legs, in other words, that part is not in proportion 
to the breast and the tail is plenty large for the breed." 

D. T. Heimlich, Jacksonville, 111., judge and breeder: 
"Mr. Sewell has done himself proud in these Wyandotte 
drawings. Perhaps Wyandotte breeders may find faults in 
them, but I do not know where to look for them. The two 
are in perfect harmony and in accord with the best speci- 
mens met in the show room, and they show what the Wyan- 
dotte may be bred to.'' 

George O. Brown, Baltimore, Md., judge and breeder: 
"The male's tail is too low, comes out of the back too 
straight. Shape from tail (outline) is too much wedge- 
shape, fluff is not quite prominent enough. The cut is a 
trifle too full on the lower breast, legs are too stout for size 
of cut and a little short; upper part of neck is too thick. To 
me there is a wrong shape of the tail which I do not seem 
able to explain." 

H. B. Savage, Belton, Texas, judge and breeder: "The 
Silver Wyandotte male, in my opinion, has very few defects. 
I should like the eye a little higher in the head; the spike 



of the comb to curve with the neck a little more; ear-lobes 
to be a little smoother; tail rather more upright, giving the 
back a shorter appearance. Fluff is too scant, and middle 
toe too long in proportion to the others. Otherwise the cut 
suits me." 



L. P. Harris, Lincoln, Neb., judge and breeder: "I think 
the comb is set too far forward, the breast is not deep 
enough and the tail is carried too low." 



A. B. Shaner, Lanark, 111., judge and breeder: "The 
Wyandotte male is too long in the back and not quite full 
enough in lower breast. Thighs and shanks are a trifle long 
and the fluff should be a little more developed." 



G. A. C. Clarke, LeMars, Iowa, judge and breeder: 
"There being no shading on beak to represent a dark horn 
color, the specimen appears to have a clear, yellow beak. 
There is not quite enough arch to back of neck. A little 
more concave sweep to the saddle would be an improvement. 
The breast is rather flat; would look better with a full crop. 
The fluff is hardly what I should call full-feathered and 
well-rounded. The wings are carried a little too high. The 
tail is not 'well developed.' Notwithstanding these com- 
ments, I consider Mr. Sewell's ideas of Wyandotte shape 
good enough 'to tie up to.' " 



J. Y. Bicknell, Buffalo, N. Y., judge and breeder: "I 
have long since learned that criticism of a cut representing 
a fowl is one thing, and criticising the living specimen, 
which it represents, is quite another. We have been so long 
accustomed to see finely drawn outlines claiming to repre- 
sent the different breeds, that we look at them from one 
basis and scrutinize the specimens from another. We often 
see the outlines as the result of a 'snap shot,' and, in such 
cases, it correctly represents them as they were when the 
shot was taken; but how very seldom do we get a picture in 
that way that does the bird any justice whatever. The bird 
will not pose in his natural shape, but frequently shows off 
to such a disadvantage that he looks distorted. The R. P. 
J. had several such cuts in last winter, which were magnifi- 
cent misrepresentations of what they were intended to por- 
tray. Realizing the truth of the above, I will state that the 
male Wyandotte cut by Mr. Sewell is well executed, as would 
be expected, but the breast is a little too full; from the 
point below the neck hackle to the front of the hock, the 
outline is too much like an arc of a circle. Nearly all of our 
best cuts have this same fault, only to a greater extent." 



D. A. Stoner, Rensselaer, Ind., judge and breeder: "In 
criticising the Wyandotte cock I would say that the comb 
extends a trifle too far forward over the beak and should be 
squared up a trifle in front. Head and neck are good; so 
are the wings and breast. I should like the tail raised a 
trifle higher, which would shorten the length of the body, 
making symmetry perfect." 



Arthur G. Duston, Marlboro, Mass., breeder of White 
Wyandottes: "It seems almost out of place for me to at- 
tempt to criticise the work of so eminent an artist as my 
friend, Mr. Sewell, but as we have honest differences I will 
do so at your request. Taking the male as a whole it looks 
sprightly, but a trifle fine and a little too hard feathered in 
breast and body. The head is nice, but I would make the 
lower mandible almost twice as thick as shown — it is too 
slender. Let us shorten the back a little. By adding about 
the width of one of the sickle feathers to the front of the 
tail, and raising the line of the back to meet it, not carrying 
the tail out or up any more, gives it a fullness, thus reliev- 
ing what I consider a 'barrel' look it has. The breast has 
sufficient fullness, but the body is not deep enough. It is 



25 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



en rather B slim appearance. I want a body that reaches 
wall 8wn (0 the hooks, only wo do not want a Brahma, so 
the hooks most Stand out In relief. The thigh, as shown, 

•ns hard. A 'slick' male will have soft feathers on the 
thighs: it gives the bird a stouter appearance. The whole 

.our of a Wyandotte should convoy the idea of stoutness 
without being a particle dumpy, but striking one as having 

siderable reserve force. Drop the wing a trifle and you 
will have an ideal male. If any breeder of Wyandottes 
a have fifty per cent of his cockerels match it in shape 
he would almost think the millenium had arrived, and 
surely he would have a 'gold mine.' I believe you will ac- 
complish a great work through the means of these discus- 
sions." 



Ira C. Keller, Prospect, Ohio, breeder of Golden Wyan- 
dottes: "The cut of the male is very pretty, making a fine 
looking bird. The comb is too broad in front and extends 
over the beak too far. Eye has not a mild enough expres- 
sion for a Wyandotte. Back about right, looks a little long, 
but if body were deeper the back would not look so long. 
Breast should be a little fuller and deeper at point of keel 
bone. Body should be deeper, or there should be more fluff. 
Tail not broad enough; if spread wider it would help con- 
siderably. Shanks are a trifle short for the size of the bird. 
Plumage of the bird suits me exactly, just what I like to see, 
lacing not shafting. One can readily see that there is a vast 
difference in the plumage of this male and what the old 
standard called for. The plumage of this bird, I think, meets 
the present standard requirements, which in a laced Wyan- 
dotte of any color is very beautiful." 



Henry Steinmesch, St. Louis, Mo., breeder of Silver 
Wyandottes: "The comb sets too far forward on beak and 
should curve a little more to shape of neck. Tail should be 
shorter and not so fiat. It should be at an angle of about 
forty-five degrees." 



A. C. Hawkins, Lancaster, Mass., breeder of Silver and 
White Wyandottes : "The male is too high on legs and not 
blocky enough in form. The shape of head, neck, breast, 
back and tail is good. The fluff should be much fuller. 
With this change and a shortening of the legs the bird 
would be very fine in form and style." 



A. & E. Tarbox, Yorkville, 111., breeders of Silver Laced 
Wyandottes: "The cut of Wyandotte cockerel in general 
would be our ideal. We think it meets the standard require- 
ments. If we were to make any corrections, we should like 
to see the breast a little fuller just in front of the thighs and 
the saddle not quite so high at base of tail." 



George H. Pollard, Pawtucket, R. I., breeder of White 
Wyandottes: "I like the Wyandotte cock very well, but the 
comb is a trifle full in front and the wattles do not hang 
straight enough, the edges turn back or fold too much. The 
saddle is a trifle high and the tail is too long. The breast 
might be a little deeper and the thighs not quite so promi- 
nent." 



Knapp Brothers, Fabius, N. Y., breeders of White 
Wyandottes: "We consider this a most excellent represen- 
tation for an ideal male of this breed, which is not only one 
of the most popular in America, but in the world wherever 
thoroughbred fowls are raised. We suggest that the comb 
should be made a little narrower and shortened a very little 
in front. Wattles should be shortened one-eighth of an 
inch and well rounded and lightened a bit in the center to 
get rid of the fold and thick appearance. Now with a light 
mallet drive the tail into the body three-eighths of an inch. 



This will widen the body at its intersection with the tail 
nearly three-eighths of an inch on the side. Fill in the 
place that is a little deficient where the sickles start. Then 
lengthen the wing a little and add one-eighth of an inch to 
lower breast. Lengthen the shanks a little. With these 
few alterations we have added a pound to the weight of the 
bird and it gives to the admiring public the most perfect 
cut of a Wyandotte male ever published." 



George W. Brown, Camden, Ark., breeder of Wyan- 
dottes: "The Wyandotte drawings received and are very 
good, but not up to our ideal of that grand old American 
variety. The male bird in head, neck, breast and shanks 
is perfect. The back should be a little more concave, and 
the tail should be carried a little higher and be made a 
shade heavier. Wing is too small and tucked under a little 
too closely. Saddle feathers should be lengthened and 
should not De so regular where they come in contact with 
the wing. The fluff should be heavier." 



H. D. Mason & Sons, Fabius, N. Y., breeders of Golden 
Wyandottes- "The comb sets too far front on the beak; it 
should not cover more than one-third of the upper part of 
the beak. The tail should be shortened down to the second 
sickle feather. There is not sufficient opening in the fluff 
at vent. It is a grand cut with many merits and if any one 
owns such a bird and is tired of having it around we would 
appreciate it." 



A. Gaiser, Tecumseh, Neb., breeder of White Wyan- 
dottes: "The only fault I find with Mr. SewelFs ideal 
Wyandotte male is with the fluff and wattles. There is not 
quite enough fluff and the wattles seem a trifle large to me. 
If I could breed such shaped birds I should think I had about 
reached perfection in shape." 



J. I. DeLancey, Elgin, 111., breeder of Golden and Silver 
Wyandottes: "I Ihink if there is any improvement to make 
that his fluff and lower part of breast should be a little 
fuller. His toes are a little long." 



C. E. Kunze, Garden Prairie, 111., breeder of Golden and 
Silver Wyandottes: "The comb seems to extend a least bit 
too far forward on the beak and the top of the comb extends 
slightly forward ever the root of the comb, causing it to 
appear too thick just above the beak. His wattles seem 
rather long as compared with the standard Plymouth Rock 
male, in fact his whole head is a little coarse. His neck 
and back are good, his tail, however, is too slanting and the 
sickles are altogether too long. According to our under- 
standing of the standard the sickles should gracefully curve 
over the tail, the ends slightly projecting. In this illustra- 
tion they curve nearly around the tail, forming a half circle. 
We are not, as we understand, to criticise the color, but we 
think if the tail were made black it would make a much bet- 
ter impression. We notice that the fluff is rather scant and 
we think it would much improve the looks of the bird if it 
were made fuller. The wings seem rather small for the size 
of bird and the shanks rather thin. Taking him as a whole, 
however, he is a very good illustration of a Silver Wyan- 
dotte, and we would not mind having a number like him. 
We think that his breast seems rather full, a little too full 
to conform with our ideal of a Silver Wyandotte. We wish 
the Reliable and Mr. Sewell a grand and deserved success in 
this undertaking." 



C. W. Nuss & Son, Coloma, Mo., breeders of White and 
Buff Wyandottes: "We think the comb is too full at lower 
or front end and it extends too far over the beak and is too 
full in center. Fluff is not full enough. He ought to be 



28 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



more circular by an eighth of an inch, tapering to a point 
each way, in order to compare favorable with some of our 
very best specimens." 



C. J. Andruss, Canandaigua, N. Y., breeder of White 
Wyandottes: "I consider the drawing a very good repre- 
sentation of the breed and I should pass the male without 
criticism." 



W. A. Irvin, Tecumseh, Neb., breeder of White Wyan- 
dottes: "I think the drawing of Wyandotte male by Mr. 
Sewell is the best I have ever seen. I consider the outline 
very nearly meets the standard requirements." 



E. G. Roberts, Fort Atkinson, Wis., breeder of Wyan- 
dottes: "Comb is too large and extends too far over the 
beak. Head and neck too large for the rest of the bird, but 
I think it would be more appropriate to enlarge the body to 
match the neck. As it is now, the back and tail appear a 
trifle long, but if the body were enlarged, or feathering made 
more profuse, so as to nearly hide the thighs, the apparent 
length would disappear." 



J. A. Ayers, LaPlata, Mo., breeder of Silver Laced Wy- 
andottes: "I should lengthen the neck of the male Wyan- 
dotte and narrow it slightly, also raise the tail, making body 
and fluff a shade deeper in the male bird." 



S. T. Jones, Williamsville, 111., breeder of White Wyan- 
dottes: "I do not think the breast is as deep and full as it 
should be. at point of breast bone. Body and fluff are not 
deep enough. Otherwise I think it a good cut." 



John Torrey, Huntley, 111., breeder of Golden, Silver 
and White Wyandottes: "The comb is a trifle too far down 
on the beak and the tail is not carried high enough to suit 
me. I should prefer to see him stand a trifle higher on his 
legs, and there should be a little more fullness to breast. 



But take him all in all he is a fine bird and the drawing does 
Mr. Sewell much credit." 



C. S. Mattison, South Shaftsbury, Vt., breeder of Buff 
Wyandottes: "On the whole the cuts are very good. The 
principal objection to the male is the length and shape of 
his tail. It is too much on the Leghorn style — too long and 
narrow, which takes away from the blocky appearance, 
which is characteristic of the Wyandotte." 



F. A. P. Coburn, Lowell, Mass., breeder of White Wyan- 
dottes: "I think the male bird's comb is a little too wide in 
front and it also comes down on the beak too far. The 
wattles are a little long and heavy. The neck and back are 
good, but I would have the lower part of the breast a trifle 
deeper and fuller. Otherwise the bird is my ideal of true 
Wyandotte shape." 



0. E. Skinner, Columbus, Kan., breeder of Silver Wyan- 
dottes: "I shall not offer any criticism on the male Wyan- 
dotte shape. It is fine." 



C. A. Clark, Fairport, N. Y., breeder of White Wyan- 
dottes: "My comments on the male Wyandotte are few. 
Adding one-fourth of an inch to breast would improve it; 
and that would bring the neck forward that much, and by 
so doing you would add the same distance to back. Shorten 
the middle toe, so that it would be in proportion with the 
others. That shape would suit me much better." 



D. F. Palmer, Yorkville, 111., breeder of Silver Wyan- 
dottes: "The cut of male is very good. I can find little 
fault with it, but I think it would be nearer perfect if the 
fluff were a little heavier." 



J. D. Hunt, Jackson, Tenn., breeder of Silver and Golden 
Wyandottes: "The cut is fine and I do not see how it could 
be improved." 




27 




- 2 i — 



fA~- 



STANDARD WYANDOTTE SHAPE-FEMALE. 

'A Composite Ideal From Live Models" — As Submitted by the Reliable Poultry Journal for the Criticisms of Judges and Breeders. 



28 



WYANDOTTE SHAPE-FEMALE. 



Criticisms of Foremost Poultry Judges and Prominent Breeders on ••Composite Ideal Wyandotte Female Shape, from Live 

Models," as Drawn by Artist Sewell. 




N the opposite page may be seen Artist Sewell's 
conception of standard Wyandotte female shape, 
in profile. A close inspection of this drawing and 
the same as changed to meet the ideas of his crit- 
ics, will show how truly the drawing as first 
submitted was a "composite ideal." Note the similarity of 
the comments. The majority agree on the same defects, 
which may be accepted as proof that the majority of breed- 
ers agree on the main points of the ideal of each breed. All 
of which is very encouraging to the breeders who believe in 
the desirability and possibility of an illustrated standard. 



W. S. Russell, Ottumwa, Iowa, judge and breeder: 
"Drawing of female is too much on the Plymouth Rock type. 
It is a trifle long in body, the back is entirely too long and 
there is too much cushion. The fluff is so abundant as to 
cause the thigh to appear short. The general outline of the 
specimen lacks the round, plump appearance of the breed." 



H. S. Babcock, Providence, R. I., judge and breeder: 
"The same criticism applies to the female as to the male. 
She is not blocky enough." 



Theo. Hewes, Trenton, Mo., judge and breeder: What 
Mr. Hewes said about the drawing of the male Wyandotte 
applies with equal force to the female drawing. 



Charles McClave, New London, Ohio, judge and breeder: 
"Symmetry is good. Head is good, beak a little heavy. 
Comb is perfect; earlobes and wattles good. Neck outlines 
are faultless. Concave sweep of back is about right except 
it is a trifle too long when viewed from base of neck to tip 
of tail. Breast shape is correct according to my idea of a 
perfect Wyandotte. Wing is faultless. Tail is perfect when 
viewed alone, however, as stated above, back and tail 
together afe a little too lengthy. Shanks are perfect, but 
middle toe is too long when compared with length of shank. 
General outlines form the nearest perfect Wyandotte female 
ever submitted to the poultry fraternity. What reader of 
the Reliable has the equal in his yards? Do not all speak at 
once." ...... JiJ^jJ.1 

F. H. Shellabarger, West Liberty, Iowa, judge and 
breeder: "The cut of the WyaDdotte female is the best I 
have ever seen and I can find but little fault with it. The 
comb is set a trifle too far forward and does not extend 
quite far enough over the back of the head. The beak is a 
little long. Other than these minor defects I think it fllis 
the bill quite well." 



C. A. Bmry, Carthage, Mo., judge and breeder: "The 
head is too small. Comb is too far front on head and beak. 
The lower breast is not full enough." 



F. B. Zimmer, Gloversville, N. Y., judge and breeder: 
"The hen must be classed as a 'good one,' yet there is too 
much space between base of hackle and root of tail, making 
her appear too long in back. Body is also a trifle long for a 



Wyandotte. However, none of us handle very many speci- 
mens in a season that are nearer perfection in shape than 
the illustration." 



D. T. Heimlich, Jacksonville, 111., judge and breeder- 
"The lacing on back of female seems coarse, but as this 
section has been, and still is, the most difficult to breed 
perfect, this extreme representation will act as an incentive 
to breeders." 



George 0. Brown, Baltimore, Md., judge and breeder- 
"The female is too long in back; tail is not quite high 
enough. There is too much fluff; breast is just a trifle full 
at the most projecting point. Comb does not run back as 
far on the head as it should. Legs are too thick. The bird 
is too long through the body." 



L. P. Harris, Lincoln, Neb., judge and breeder: "I 
have but one criticism to offer on the female Wyandotte cut. 
It would suit me better if it showed more depth of breast." 

H. B. Savage, Belton, Texas, judge and breeder: "The 
Wyandotte female cut is an excellent one and, in my 
opinion, its defects are very few. The eye should be set 
higher up in head. . The lower part of breast is not full 
enough. Ear-lobes are not smooth enough. Neck needs a 
little more curve, caused by the head being held a trifle too 
far forward. The cushion part of the back is too long. 
Middle toe is entirely too long, being as long as the shank 
itself." 



A. B. Shaner, Lanark, 111., judge and breeder: "Back 
too long, appears too much like a Plymouth Rock. Tail, 
thighs and shanks are a trifle long. It should be a little 
fuller in lower breast." 



G. A. C. Clarke, LeMars, Iowa, judge and breeder: 
"Though it does not affect the general shape of the speci- 
men, I should prefer to have the eye with a less wild, 
nervous expression. There should be some shading on the 
beak to represent a dark horn color. The breast line should 
intersect the front line of thigh one-eighth inch lower than 
the etching shows. The body is too shallow." 



J. Y. Bicknell, Buffalo, N. Y., judge and breeder: "The 
female has the same fault as the male, but in a greater 
degree. The breast in front of the wing bow is much too 
full. The beak is rather too straight. It looks a little as if 
the under mandible were pushing a trifle against the upper 
one. This fault is slight, however. I like both cuts better 
than any others of this breed that I have seen." 



D. A. Stoner, Rensselaer, Ind., judge and breeder: "I 
like the shape of the Wyandotte female very much except 
that the head rises too high above the eye, making the comb 
stand too near the perpendicular. The face should extend a 
trifle lower." 



Arthur G. Duston, Marlboro, Mass., breeder of White 



29 




STANDARD WYANDOTTE SHAPE-FEMALE. 

Changed to Meet the Criticisms of Judges and Breeders. 



30 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



Wyandottes: "I would suggest a few changes in the draw- 
ing of the female sent me. The head is too small for the 
bird. The breast lacks depth. Carry the line down from 
the fullest point in quite a liberal sweep to where it comes 
in conjunction with the line of the thigh. A well developed 
female will be almost as deep through the breast as through 
the fluff. I would shorten the back by bringing forward 
the tail on top a little, at least a quarter of an inch, which 
makes the tail look a trifle larger and relieves the look of 
too much length. To change the width of the wing through 
the center, narrow it up a little. I believe we then would 
have a model we all would be glad to breed to or to be 
judged by." 



Ira C. Keller, Prospect, Ohio, breeder of Golden Wyan- 
dottes: "Cut of the female represents a very neat, trim 
Wyandotte, but she does not look quite heavy enough, or I 
might say not large enough. Head is too small. Beak too 
large for size of head. Back not cushioned enough and is 
too much on a straight line. If breast were a little deeper 
at point of keel bone the bird would look larger a,nd more in 
proportion. I can find no fault with the plumage. It is 
just what we want, but is hard to produce. Breast, wing 
and back have the same size of lacing; this means uniform 
lacing throughout. The lacing of shoulders lies in rows, 
which is not natural. This is a handsome cut and reflects 
great credit upon Mr. Sewell." 



Henry Steinmesch, St. Louis, Mo., breeder of Silver Wy- 
andottes: "The comb starts too far forward on the beak and 
it should have a little more curve to shape it to the neck. 
Tail should be shorter and not so flat — have it at an angle 
of forty-five degrees." 



A. C. Hawkins, Lancaster, Mass., breeder of Silver and 
White Wyandottes: "The hen is too long bodied for a 
Wyandotte. She is too long in back and lacks fullness of 
breast. The tail is too large and full. Head, neck, fluff and 
legs are good. The ideal Wyandotte female should be blocky 
in form with full cushion and fluff." 



A. & E. Tarbox, Yorkville, 111., breeders of Silver Laced 
Wyandottes: "We have no comments to make on the female 
Wyandotte shape. We consider it good enough." 



George H. Pollard, Pawtucket, R. I., breeder of White 
Wyandottes: "Hen is not so good as the male. The back 
is too long and the saddle is too high. The tail is too high, 
full and long. There is too much of the body back of the 
legs. The breast should be deeper and the fluff not quite so 
heavy. Toes look like scratchers." 



George W. Brown, Camden, Ark., breeder of Wyan- 
dottes: "The female bird's head is a shade too small and 
is out of proportion to the body. The comb does not set 
well on the head, extending too far in front and not far 
enough behind. Back is too long and should be coupled up 
just a fraction, with the tail lowered and one or two more 
feathers added. The right leg has a twisted appearance, 
making the position of the bird look awkward. Otherwise 
we consider the drawing good and acceptable as a model." 



H. D. Mason & Sons, Fabius, N. Y., breeders of Golden 
Wyandottes: "Raise the eye and back corner of the mouth 
one-sixteenth of an inch, dropping the point of beak an 
equal distance. Lower the back three-sixteenths of an inch, 
making the lowest point of back about midway between 
beak and end of tail. Shorten the tail one-half inch, both 
by setting it farther front on the body and by cutting off a 



little of the stiff upper feathers of tail. The five last sil- 
vered feathers extending out into the tail should not be 
there. All the cushion feathers have too large open centers. 
They should be medium in size. Too many silvered feathers 
show on thigh and fluff. They should have disappeared at 
the lower line of breast. The back, from base of hackle to 
lowest point of back, should be flat, and it may be so hol- 
lowed by the folding of elbow of wing next to back feathers 
that the hollow will hold a tablespoonful of water. This is 
an aristocratic hen, and she has gotten into a habit of 
sniffing up her nose and looking out of the corner of her 
eyes down upon her less favored neighbors." 



Knapp Brothers, Fabius, N. Y., breeders of White 
Wyandottes: "The Wyandotte female is also very per- 
fect in shape, but to us she has the appearance of being 
below the standard size, requiring a little more length, 
breadth and height to give size. The head is a little too 
small; comb should be raised in front and extend farther 
back, at least one-third of its length being back of the eye. 
The wattles are a trifle too small. Add one-eighth of an 
inch to the lower breast as in the male. Shanks are a trifle 
short and middle toe is too long." 



A. Gaiser, Tecumseh, Neb., breeder of White Wyan- 
dottes: "I consider the female almost perfect. A little 
more depth of body in front of thighs would suit me better. 
In my judgment this is the better of the two Wyandotte 
drawings." 



J. I. DeLancey, Elgin, 111., breeder of Golden and Silver 
Wyandottes: "The female is a little full in back, also in 
the breast. The toes are a little long and the white centers 
are a trifle large, but I should like to have a yard of birds 
that looked as perfect as this pair." 



C. E. Kunze, Garden Prairie, 111., breeder of Golden and 
White Wyandottes: "I consider the hen to be much nearer 
ideal shape than the male. Her main defect is too much 
cushion at bass of tail, extending forward nearly to the 
middle of back. Breast is a little full, and she is very loosely 
feathered. With these exceptions she fits our ideal very 
well." 



C. J. Andruss, Canandaigua, N. Y., breeder of White 
Wyandottes: "I should^prefer the neck of the hen to be a 
trifle longer and the lacing to be a little more distinct about 
the head. If I were breeding Silvers and had a uniform 
flock of well-bred birds as good as these drawings represent, 
I should feel that I had stock of which I could well feel 
proud." 

W. A. Irvin, Tecumseh, Neb., breeder of White Wyan- 
dottes: "Head of female is too small for the size of bird. 
If it were fuller in breast it would be an improvement. I 
consider it a fine drawing." 

J. A. Ayers, LaPlata, Mo., breeder of Silver Laced Wy- 
andottes: "The female Wyandotte so nearly meets my idea 
of standard requirements that I can not comment adversely 
on her except to say that the openings in lacing are too 
large, making the bird too light in color." 



31 



E. G. Roberts, Fort Atkinson, Wis., breeder -of Wyan- 
dottes: "I think the front half of the bird is too small in 
proportion to the rest of the bird. Posterior shape good, 
but the tail is unnatural. It should be shorter and have 
less spread. Lower part of breast and body should be 
feathered profusely enough to nearly hide the thighs," 



P11K \YYAN1X)TTHS. 



s r. Jones, Willlamsville, in., breeder of White Wyan- 

" This is a lino cut with the exception of back and 
ite or cushion, Which I think is a trifle Ions. Otherwise 
1 have no suggestions to otter." 



C. S Mattison, South Shaftsbury, vt.. breeder of Butt 
Wyandottes: "The tail of the female is too long and nar- 
1 ootice the artist has followed the standard in draw- 
ing wide lacings. How much better it would have appeared 
had he made a narrow black ed.se such as we find in the best 
of our Sebright Bantams, such as the artist produced for 
one of our English journals. A narrow black edge around 
a white center is. in my humble opinion, what is wanted to 
perfect our females." 



C. W. Xuss & Son. Coloma. Mo., breeders of White and 
Hurt Wyandottes: "The hen is nearer perfection than the 
male, but I think if she were a little fuller where the hackle 
comes down on the back her appearance would be 
improved." 



John Torrey, Huntley. 111., breeder of Golden, Silver 
and White Wyandottes: "The female is my ideal of Wyan- 
dotte shape. I should prefer to have the breast a little fuller, 
otherwise it is the best drawing of Wyandotte shape I have 
ever seen." 



F. A. P. Coburn. Lowell, Mass., breeder of White Wyan- 
dottes: "The Wyandotte female shape is not so near my 
ideal as the male's. I would have the crown of the head 



lower, which would give the head that broad appearance 
which is desirable, then the comb would not be so perpen- 
dicular as it is now. The neck is good, but tho back is too 
long and a little too much cushioned. The tail is a little 
too high and too long. I should have the breast a little 
fuller, but the fluff is the least bit too full. The toes, 
especially the middle one, are perhaps a little bit too long. 
In other points the female is about my ideal and I would 
not object to any number of white ones as good as she." 



O. B. Skinner, Columbus, Kan., breeder of Silver Wyan- 
dottes: "Cut of female is good, but it seems to me that the 
tail should approach a little nearer a square angle at the 
top." 



C. A. Clark, Fairport, N. Y., breeder of White Wyan- 
dottes: "The shape of female is a beauty, far superior to 
the male. I have no comments to make. Allow me to con- 
gratulate the R. P. J. on the success it is meeting with this 
series of ideal shapes. The readers should heartily appre- 
ciate these efforts, as it certainly must bring us all nearer 
to one mind." 



D. F. Palmer, Yorkville, 111., breeder of Silver Wyan- 
dottes: "Except that I think the female a little long in 
back I should pronounce her very near perfection." 



J. D. Hunt, Jackson, Tenn., breeder of Silver and Golden 
Wyandottes: "I have no criticisms to offer on the female 
cut. It is grand," 




TiR3T,KdNSHoClTV 
■First St Louis 
•\&?£- • 
ORfO \ OWNED OY 

7t\E.TfWX- 

YOUIWILLE, | LL- 



-II.'. 1.1' WVAWDOTTE HEN— BRED AND OWNED BY A. & E. TAKHOX, YORKVILLE, ILLINOIS. 

32 



SCIENCE IN BREEDING. 



The Advent of the Wyandottes— Shape— Proper Surface Color— Different Varieties— Crossing— Breeding. 



BY T. P. M'GRBW, NEW YORK CITY. 



[Reproduced from a series of articles on this subject, written for the Reliable Poultry Journal.] 




1 BRVING the American Poultry Association as one 
of a committee to examine into the merit of the 
then called "American Sebright," caused my 
personal acquaintance with them to begin with 
the public appearance of our Wyandottes. One 
was a Hamburg, another we could not place with satis- 
faction, and not until they had begun to show their present 
form of body did they gain a name or recognition from the 
association. In their make-up is the Sebright, the Ham- 
burg, the Brahma and the Cochin. When we contemplate 
this union of the spangle of the Hamburg and the penciling 
of the Brahma, no wonder the mossing of the centers shows 
on our Silver females; and it is not much better for the 
Goldens that have Partridge Cochin and Brown Leghorn 
blood with which to contend. This combination gave one of 
the very hardest problems for the breeder to handle, for the 
reason that he had to produce on his females a marking of 
feathers almost unknown to the foundation blood. 

The first standard called for almost the same color and 
markings of the present day. Then the breast of male had 
a medium sized, white center; now it is a large, white cen- 
ter. In females the first standard called for a small white ' 
center for back and a white breast evenly laced with black. 
See our standard of to-day and contemplate the few changes 
from the original, and consider our advancement in ideas 
in just fifteen years. Our written law Is almost the same as 
was given to the crude original of our present modern 
Wyandotte. 

We say, with emphasis, "The standard calls for so and 
so." Yes, just the same as fifteen years ago. Then we saw 
specimens score over 90 that to-day we could not endure. 
Under this description, for fifteen years, have we seen the 
same gentlemen, year after year, tack up the same grade of 
card, giving credit at 93. Allowing that the birds have 
improved each year one-half point, to-day, as we reason, the 
tack should support one card at least with the perfect mark. 
But this would bring a union of condemnation upon the 
head of any who should dare such nonsense. And why? 
"We have learned by experience that the birds grow better 
each year." What is this experience? Some call it com- 
parison. 

I hear my readers saying, "The above has no bearing 
upon the question of handling our breeding stock." This 
may be, but straws show the way the "wind blows." So may 
the above keep you from tolerating bad shape in any fowl 
you may select to produce of its kind. 

Wyandotte Shape. 

The proper Wyandotte shape is quite as striking as the 
form of a game cock. What would be our opinion of him 
who selected an ill-forrned game cock as the superior of one 
of proper form, simply on account of its color. The same 

33 



rule should guide in the selection of the Wyandotte. Fre- 
quently we see a finely colored buff fowl of Plymouth Rock 
shape gain the honors as a Wyandotte. Such a shape should 
not be allowed to gain the honors either in a show or in the 
breeding pen. Nothing short of annihilation will satisfy 
when a white feather is found in a black Wyandotte; but we 
gaze with approval upon an overgrown Black Hamburg 
labeled as a first prize Black Wyandotte. We destroy the 
fine form with true Wyandotte qualities for the one white 
feather, and proceed to produce a flock of Hamburgs from 
this winning wonder who has fooled us all with his beautiful 
color. 

The best all-'round Wyandotte to-day is the Silver. Its 
size is good, its form most perfect, considered from the util- 
ity standpoint, and its color is the best — not white enough 
to soil, nor black enough to injure for market purposes. It 
simply needs continued attention to make it as perfect a 
show fowl as its cousin, the White. Like all penciled or 
spangled fowls, it must be line bred with considerable care 
to free its plumage from the bad markings of the present 
time. There can be no real reason advanced showing why 
the Wyandottes, both Silver and Golden, cannot be brought 
as close to the standard line of perfection in color as any 
barred, penciled or spangled fowl. The laws of reproduc- 
tion teach us that in white fowls the pureness of the color 
can be materially injured in a single year by the use of a 
male having a yellowish cast in plumage. If this slight cast 
in color will injure the whole fleck, if a slight creamy cast 
is so injurious, what may we expect to come to the center 
color of the plumage of our female Wyandottes unless we 
use more consideration in our union of colors? 

Take the one section of the after portion of back of 
female. How few do we see that have feathers with good 
centers, free from mossing! We look into pen after pen in 
our show room and hunt for the ideal back plumage so sel- 
dom found, and wonder why we make haste so slowly in this 
direction. Many have cast the breed aside simply on this 
ground. They say the almost impossible task of clearing the 
plumage has discouraged them from ever gaining the desired 
quality. Have you given your best consideration to these 
facts in selecting the birds for your breeding pens, or have 
you over-looked important factors? 

Proper Surface Color. 

The so-called "top color" of the Silver Wyandotte male 
should be quite 'like the Dark Brahma, silvery white in color. 
Far better not to mate at all than to use males with a 
brownish gray top color. For years we have struggled to 
clear the white centers of the back plumage of our females 
by using males with this smoky top plumage. How often 
we hear, "The color comes largely from the male, size from 
the female," and then we proceed to -clear the backs of our 




^RELIABLE '"'"" l - 
*^ Poultry 

c^pyri^mt- - - 

SILVER LACED WYANDOTTES. 

By SEWELL, NOVEMBER, 1899. 
Standard Weights — Cock, 8i pounds; hen, 6i pounds; cockerel, 7£ pounds; pullet, 5k pounds. 
Characteristics — Cost of raising to maturity, 70 cents; annual cost of keeping, 80 cents; average egg yield per year, 175; average 

numbir of eggs to pound, 9; average constitution. They are good as foragers; can stand confinement; are fine as sitters and 

good as mothers. Grain and flavor of flesh^good. 



34 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



females with a male whose saddle plumage is about as black 
as if smeared with paint, and then wonder the next fall how 
it happened. 

Why not this year try just one pen, or better, one male 
and one female off in a corner somewhere by themselves, the 
female selected because she is the best Silver Wyandotte 
you own or can obtain. Mate her to a male just as pure 
silvery white as a Hamburg, if he can be found. Have him 
a real Wyandotte in every way and real pure, silvery white, 
with the clean-cut black stripe in hackle and saddle, the 
white diamond-shaped center of saddle to be clear and per- 
fect. Study with care what the diamond saddle centers are 
for a Silver Wyandotte. Be sure you fully understand them. 
Go over and over the wording of color demands, study it 
section by section, and see if there are not some things you 
did not quite understand, and this may help in gaining the 
desired end. Only by this close study and care will the 
much-desired clear cast of plumage be obtained. 

The many admixtures of blood in the Wyandotte, both 
Silver and Golden, must continually be at war with each 
other. The transfer of specimens from one yard to another 
brings about continued internal disturbances that can only 
be lessened or controlled by closing out these faults by care- 
ful breeding. Close family unions only should be allowed. 
Build up four families of your own and transfer them from 
one to another, but never hope to improve the color of your 
females by using males with the brownish cast in top plum- 
age. 

In Dark Brahmas the best females are bred from males 
with the light under-color. The best breeding strains of 
partridge color have the light under-color, and so must the 
dark under-color of our Wyandottes, both Silver and Golden, 
be softened considerably to gain the much desired surface 
color. Black casts its shadow over every color; its influence 
is self-asserting, and while we can not obliterate its influence 
over the center markings we can soften and curtail its dom- 
inating power and with care confine it to its own domain. 
This process will weaken the under-color, and as this is 
gained the clear top-color in males will be forthcoming and 
the clearer centers of the females. 

The Selection of the Sire. 

The ideal Silver Wyandotte to be used as a breeding 
bird should be free from brown or any color save the pure 
silvery white with black stripe. His color should be as pure 
and true as that demanded for the exhibition Dark Brahma. 
Consider for the moment your own matings of last season 
compared with this. Did those of last year produce as you 
desired? If not, in what respect did they fail? We feel 
assured it was the same trouble that all have, mossing of the 
center of the feathers. Why? Was it from that brownish 
backed male? If so, have we better colored males this year, 
or are we still endeavoring to clear up our white center 
markings with brown? 

The same conditions hold good with the Golden. The 
purer and clearer the top color of the male, the better his 
females will be. Better by far encourage light under-color 
in your males, especially in the Silver variety, than to con- 
tinue these dark shadings of surface color on back. Do not 
become frightened at gray in the under-color, providing it 
gives you a pure, true silvery white for surface color of back. 
The same conditions hold control of both Golden and Silver. 
The same course will improve both, their feather markings 
being the same. The best handlers of the Golden variety 
have not only gained the clear golden diamond center in the 
saddle plumage, but have also the same center in the hackle. 
These clear centers can also be gained and maintained, with 
care in mating, in our Silver variety. 

The theory is advanced that by making the effort to 
clear the plumage in this way too much white will be the 



35 



result. No doubt this will be so in some cases, more espe- 
cially with those who encourage very large white centers on 
breast, but those who use care and judgment and keep the 
black in the females bright and pure in surface color and 
select those for breeding that do not incline to a predomin- 
ance of white, will gain their desire. Do not try to do this 
all at once. Do not make the mistake of using males with 
too much white. The proper males to use are those as clear 
and clean as possible, that have the distinct black center 
stripe in both hackle and saddle and that are as free as pos- 
sible from any show of the dark collar about the neck and 
dark shading on the back. 

The Buff Wyandotte. 

The originators of all of our new buff varieties seem to 
have striven to obtain a very dark reddish color trimmed 
with black. The early specimens of all buff varities came to 
us with black wings, tails and necks. Much hard labor has 
been expended to obliterate this. The ardent task has been 
partially overcome in a very short time, when compared 
with the Cochins that have been scientifically bred so many 
years and still are not free from these troubles. 

While in England, Mr. E. P. Shepherd, of Croton Falls, 
N. Y., made some public statements on buff color, from 
which we quote the following, as published in an English 
journal: "In the course of conversation Mr. Shepherd gave 
it as his opinion that the English Buff Leghorns were much 
inferior to the American. The English fancier, he thought, 
had been breeding for too dark a color and consequently 
many of their specimens come too ruddy on the wing. Said 
Mr. Shepherd, 'The pale lemon color is the standard color in 
America, ground color being as important as the surface.' " 

To these remarks Mr. E. C. Lester Kay, the originator of 
the Buff Leghorn in England, takes exceptions and contends 
for the deep orange buff, and terms those who differ with 
him thus: "I am sorry to see the ignorant dead set made by 
some reporters of late at what they are pleased to describe 
as redness or warmness on wing bow in the case of Buff 
Leghorn cockerels, this being in reality in most cases merely 
the extra richness imparted to an orange buff body color by 
the attendant luster of the part in question, a natural and 
ineradicable attribute of sex." 

No one can equal the tenacity of an Englishman in hold- 
ing a position that is in the least tenable. But this is the 
finest excuse for a red wing bow yet presented, "an ineradi- 
cable attribute of sex." We call it a curse to the buff 
varieties. 

If quoted correctly, Mr. Shepherd's remarks are to be 
regretted, just on the issue of our new standard, in which all 
buff breeds are alike described in color as one even shade of 
rich golden buff, free from shafting or mealy appearance. It 
is quite unfortunate to have the whole of England told that 
we prefer the pale lemon color. 

Experience has taught me that the better way to handle 
the buff color is to eradicate as far as possible all black from 
the females; drive it out, even if white comes to take its 
place. In so doing the males should at the same time become 
almost free of any black, other than in the under-tail plum- 
age. By so doing the surface color becomes very light. It 
is an easier task to strengthen this than to be rid of the 
black. To build up the color when pure buff and free from 
black, mate together your best colored specimens, selecting 
those showing the best or richest under-color. Continue 
thus from year to year till you strengthen the color itself by 
selecting the best. In so doing you secure the rich golden 
buff in its purity, free from red, black or white shadings. 
Black Wyandottes. 

Recently we have seen some Black Wyandottes of more 
than usual quality. As we contemplated their general make- 
up we conceded their value as a fancy fowl, and found they 



THK WYANDOTTES. 



wore only seven out of :i class of 184. So wo must consider 
them as simply the ornamental portion of the Wyandottes. 

or looking thorn ovor carefully we drifted to (ho coops 

containing the Sumatras of tho most lustrous greenish 
black, the wings, both web and quill a shiny black, the 
under-color as dark as night, with beak and logs very dark. 
almost black in color. Tho Black Wyandot to must be dis- 
qualified if shanks are other than black shading into yellow, 
bottom of foot yellow. For what reason? Like the 
Sumatra, so tow exist that they cut no figure as a market 
1. Why not give them the same chance as the ornamental 
Sumatra and encourage the black beak and logs and the rich, 
black plumage, and make them truly a fancy fowl? If pru- 
dence and judgment could unite in making the Black Wyan- 
dotte a fowl of most perfect Wyandotte form with a bright, 
glistening, greenish black plumage and very dark beak and 
legs, it could be transformed into one of the most attractive 
of all the black fowls, and become an ornamental variety of 
the Wyandotte family. 

White Wyandottes. 

So much has been written of the albino portion of this 
breed it will be useless to multiply words regarding them. 
Study well the color plate in the January, 1899, nuffber of 
the R. P. J.; consider what is said in their favor illustrative 
of the same cut. Then turn to page 911 of the same issue and 
study what we say of white color. The careful consideration 
of this whole article on color may be of much benefit in the 
handling of your stock, also in the consideration of future 
articles on these subjects. 

What we have said about color must not be taken as 
absolutely unbending in its results. White fowls have been 
produced of almost pure plumage, having the yellow leg and 
beak. Pure black fowls have come to notice with almost 
yellow beak and legs, but their number compared with the 
vhole is so very small they can only be considered as an 
■cident. We can only claim to have mastered the art of 
producing standard Wyandottes when we can bring together 
a class of many hundreds of all colors with their Wyandotte 
form so nearly alike throughout all the classes as to chal- 
lenge one to say either variety outclassed the other on 
shape, and the coloring and markings of each variety so uni- 
form that one could hardly tell them apart were it not for 
their leg bands. Then we could say our work on this grand 
breed of American production had been handled in a credit- 
able manner. 

New Information. 
Since writing the above, I have visited the poultry exhi- 
bitions at Chicago and Boston. At the former, in conversa- 
tion with those interested in Silver Wyandottes, my opinion 
was strengthened in regard to there being entirely too much 
shading encouraged upon the backs of the male birds with- 
out having any attention paid to the facts concerning the 
proper mating required to clear the back plumage of our 
females, as previously stated. 

At Boston the most perfectly colored female I have ever 
seen was shown. Her plumage was black and white— not 



brownish black, but black and white. Each feather had a 
clear, perfeel center of white, pure and free from mossing. 
All over her whole body each feather seemed to conform to 
a regular make-up proportion to its size, the smaller ones 
just as proportionately centered as the larger ones, making 
a. perfect union of colors. 

In conversation with Mrs. Comyns Lewer, of London, 
England, who owns the greatest poultry journal in England! 
she said: 'All your Wyandottes, except the Silvers, excel 
those we have in England; but the Silvers are not nearly so 
good as ours. This one pullet" (that I have mentioned 
above) "is fashioned after our style of English Silver Wyan- 
dottes in England." She further said: "The white must be 
pure white and the black a rich, glossy black; not a dull 
black, as seen here. She also spoke of the color of males 
being puite inferior to that of the English birds. 

It is my purpose to pursue this matter further and to 
secure, if possible, some feathers from the other side and 
with them some information concerning the Silver Wyan- 
dottes of England. It may be that when the matter is looked 
into we will find, as with their Barred Rocks, which are so 
different from our style of breeding as to almost be a dis- 
tinct variety, that the same is also true of the Silver Wyan- 
dottes. 

Bad Effect of Crosses. 
Before me is a letter, asking whether or not I would 
advise the writer to attempt to improve the size and quality 
of his Buff Wyandottes by the use of Buff Cochin females. 
My answer to this. would be decidedly no. The Buff Wyan- 
dottes have so far advanced as to be almost entirely free 
from feathers on the legs and from the Cochin form of sad- 
dle and fluff. Many hundred Buff Wyandottes of high char- 
ncter have been exhibited during the last winter. Rather 
than resort to the use of Cochin fowls to improve the Wyan- 
dotte in any particular whatever, it would be far better to 
select the very finest specimens in size and shape that can 
possibly be secured, and from them proceed to produce 
selecting for remating the finest specimens of the year! 
Look well to size, shape and color. Do not hesitate to pay a 
good price for a really meritorious bird, for in doing so you 
will gain at once what you had hoped to gain in three or 
four years by cross breeding. Surely each year of time is 
worth to you far more than the cost of a high class specimen 
could possibly be. 

English vs. American Wyandottes. 
I am also asked whether or not it is a fact that breeders 
in England have secured better surface color on their Wyan- 
dottes than we have in this country. I am now in position 
to state that in size, color and marking, the English people 
are in advance of us, in both Golden and Silver Wyandottes, 
with this difference: In the Golden we have the rich, bright! 
bay color; they have a lighter color, more like buff. ' In Sil- 
vers the top color of their male bird is much purer and 
clearer than with us. The females are also better penciled. 
In shape, like all other English birds, they are bred more to 
Cochin type and with more Cochin fluff than we have on our 
birds, T F M'GREW. 



36 



MATING FOR BEST RESULTS. 



Overweight Birds not Desirable — Shape and Then Color to be Considered — Points Wanted in Breeders- 
It is Essential to Retain the Identity of the Young Stock. 



BY HENRY STEINMESCH, ST. LOUIS, MO. 




BRHAPS a good way to start this article would be 
to repeat what I have so often seen in print, that 
is, "To breed poultry successfully one must have 
a fancy for the business." Not only this, but 
one must have patience and must be willing to 
study. The. progressive breeder of to-day is not satisfied in 
producing just as good as he had last year; he wants some- 
thing better. 

If one goes into the poultry business he must expect 
mistakes and disappointments and they must be overcome. 
None of us is infallible. We are more apt to learn by our 



but I should rather have a trio. If I had plenty of money I 
should buy a pen of one male and five or six females. I 
should consider the shape or symmetry of the birds of decid- 
edly the most importance, and color of neck, breast or back 
would be a secondary consideration. 

In Silver Wyandottes I consider the male bird more than 
half of the flock, and for that reason I should be careful to 
have him as good as possible. I want a cockerel to weigh 
seven and one-half pounds or a cock eight and one-half 
pounds, and I prefer a half pound less rather than that much 
more. As a rule, heavier than standard birds are less 




Under the Beak, Throat. 



Lower. 



Still Lower. 



Lower Breast. 



Down Between the Thighs. 



BREAST FEATHERS OF SILVER WYANDOTTE COCKEREL, "EDGEHILL, 

Owned by Henry Steinmesch, St. Louis, Mo. 



early reverses than we are by our successes. I have been 
fairly successful with Silver Wyandottes having had them 
for thirteen years. I have made mistakes and do not pre- 
tend to know it all now, but I do know that, if I were to 
start over again, I should start nearer right than I did thir- 
teen years ago. I should start with one breed, and that 
breed would be the Silver Wyandotte. 

I should try to get the best with which to make a start. 
If my means were limited I should be satisfied with a pair, 



shapely. He should be of a square, blocky build, with legs 
well set apart; a broad breast, full and round; a broad back, 
short and flat at the shoulders, and a medium sized tail well 
spread. The comb should be medium, curving to the shape 
of the neck, coming to a spike point, and all well serrated. 

Next I look for color. I want a breast well laced, and the 
centers must be white and clear, and must extend from un- 
der the beak down to between the thighs — note illustration. 
Right here, however, we are liable to have trouble unless 



37 




ST"- - ?! 



SILVER LACED WYANDOTTES TO DATE. 

As Bred by Mr. Henry Steinmesch, formerly of Sutter, now of St, Louis, Mo. 



38 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



we see to it that the lacing is free from frosty edging, which 
is a grayish tinge on the outside of the black lacing. This 
frosty edging is a serious fault, and the last standard very 
wisely instructs a cut of not less than one point in each sec- 
tion where it appears. If the breast is free from this blem- 
ish in the male bird it is not likely to show up in any other 
section. 

The wing of a Silver Wyandotte is one of its strongest 
points. A really good wing is hard to find. The white in 
the flights and secondaries is usually good, but the black is 
too often mottled. I want the wing bows silver white and 
the upper web of the coverts black, the lower web white 
with a narrow stripe along the edge which widens as it ap- 
proaches the tip forming a double bar of laced feathers 
across the wing. I have given a great deal of space to the 
male bird as I consider him the foundation of any strain, 
and I believe that the most of our improvement in the Sil- 
ver Wyandotte must come through that source. 

On the female side I want full standard weight, five and 
one-half pounds for pullets and six and one-half pounds for 
hens. They must be broad and full in the breast with a ' 
broad back that is very slightly cushioned. The breast 
must be well laced with good sized, open centers. As a rule 
there is very little trouble in getting pullets very good in 
this respect, but unless well bred, this lacing, after the first 
molt, will become faint and will fail to go all around the 
feather. This trouble invariably crops out where the under- 
color is gray or white. I should be careful to use only fe- 
males that were good in dark slate under-color, and should 
also prefer to have the fluff slate color, although not neces- 
sarily as dark as in the breast. I want the back of a pullet 
to show centers as white as those in the breast and the lac- 
ing must be as clear. With this, however, I must have dark 
under-color, and I should rather use a female with smaller 
centers and good under-color than one with large open cen- 
ters and light under-color. In this view I am going against 
some of the theorists, but I know that light under-colo.red 
females will not wear and the big open centers unless 
backed up by dark slate color, are only for to-day. 



I want the ear-lobes red and the eyes bright bay. The 
standard allows some white in ear-lobes and also permits 
eyes other than bright bay, yet by a little care we can breed 
these sections as they should be. 

While it is a pleasure to note the good points of our 
birds, yet we should not overlook the poor ones, and it is a 
good general rule to avoid mating birds where both the male 
and female are weak in the same sections. Two poor combs 
are not going to produce one good comb. Two pairs of pearl 
or blue eyes will not produce one pair of good, bright, bay 
eyes. On the contrary, such matings will bring forth worse 
combs and poorer eyes. If, however, one or the other Is 
good in comb and eye then we may look for an improve- 
ment, especially if the bird possessing these good points is 
the stronger and more vigorous of the two. 

With the advantage that the Silver Wyandotte has, of 
beauty and general usefulness combined, it is bound to be- 
come more popular from year to year. It is to-day the fore- 
most all-purpose fowl in England, and there is no reason 
why it should not be in this country. They are as easy to 
breed as any other fowl notwithstanding parti-color. While 
discussion is deep and earnest as to the proper shade of buff 
or the color of Barred Rocks, the pencilings of this breed or 
that, the Silver Wyandotte fanciers are working in harmony, 
knowing that where they want white, they want white, and 
where they want black they do not want any other color. 

In conclusion I offer another suggestion, and it is, try 
to retain the identity of the young stock. If you are so sit- 
uated that you cannot do this with all your birds, do it with 
part of them. If you succeed in raising some extra good 
birds it is worth the trouble to know the parent stock. 
Know what kind of matings will produce the good ones and 
on the other hand do away with the matings that produced 
the poor ones. In this way we can soon establish a strain of 
birds that will breed true to name and which will be uni- 
form. This after all is decidedly preferable to producing 
extremes — part very good, part very poor — the latter as a 
rule largely predominating. 

HENRY STEINMESCH. 



SINGLE OR STANDARD MATING. 




j ACH season, in all breeds and varieties of fancy 
poultry, there are a number of faulty specimens 
thrown from the best matings. It should be and 
is the aim of every thorough fancier and breeder 
to eradicate the faults from his or her flock, and 
order to do so it requires a knowledge of the breed 
and variety he or she is breeding. Nor is that all. It 
requires study, the careful selection of the breeding stock 
and watchful attention to the young, if we would succeed. 
I shall give in the following my method of mating Silver 
Wyandottes. 

In them we have the oldest and one of the best of the 
Wyandotte family, a bird that is fit for both farmer and 
fancier. As an utility fowl it is the equal of any, and as a 
bird on which the fancier can exercise his knowledge and 
science of breeding, it is unexcelefl. 

While the Silvers are not so hard to breed to standard 
requirements as some think, still there are a few bad fea- 
tures that one must get out of one's strain before he can 
hope for much success. In the male birds, splashy breasts 
and brassy or smutty backs must be avoided. In the female 
we must fight against smutty or mossy backs and white on 
the edge of the feathers. I mention the above named faults in 
particular, as they have been the hardest things for me to 
contend with successfully. I have learned many things 
about the Silvers, the past ten or twelve years, from exper- 
ience. 

In the selection of a breeding pen of Silver Wyandottes, 
from which I expected both cockerels and pullets (and that 
is the only way I mate them) , I should select the best shaped 
birds with the best markings I could find. The females 



should be well laced on the breast, back, wings and fluff, 
and the black must be of a good quality. The feathers must 
be free from outside edging of white and black spots or moss 
in the centers of the feathers. The lacing should be sharply 
defined and the colors clear. I want well-balanced speci- 
mens, not those that are extra good in some points and very 
poor in others, but birds that would receive about the same 
proportionate discount in each color section. To these 
females I should mate a well-shaped cockerel or cock, a 
good-sized, broad-backed, blocky fellow, with a fine comb 
not too large or coarse, good eyes, clear neck, good wings, 
good wing bars, good clear back nicely edged with clear 
white and with a small white center in the feathers. The 
breast ought to have a clear white center in each feather, 
which should be free from white on the edge. The centers 
in the breast feathers should not be so large as those in the 
feathers of the female. The under-color of the male must 
be good throughout, and the tail must be a greenish black 
and well spread. The defects found in the females should 
be offset as nearly as possible by good points in the male. 
By the selection of the best birds from such a mating as 
breeders, season after season, and by not introducing too 
much new blood, the result would be a large per cent of 
finely marked birds. 

I think the demand for number one Silver Wyandottes 
is increasing. I have always found a ready sale for first- 
class birds during the past eight years. I have shown my 
birds throughout the central and southern parts of the 
United States, winning many premiums and I have never 
been defeated on cockerel but twice. 

K. S. TRIMBLE, North Middleton, Ky. 



39 



A SUCCESSFUL WOMAN FANCIER. 



Glory and Substantial Reward for Those Who Produce First-Class Silver Wyandottes—Care, Feeding 

:md Selection of Breeding Stock. 



i:\ MRS. GKORGE_M. HANI.V. HRKKDKR, HOOPRSTON, II,!,. 




Y EXPERIENCE in handling Silver Laced Wyan- 
dottes is one of ups and downs with the emphasis 
upon the latter, and I believe any one who has 
ever bred them will concede that my experience 
is his experience. It is my honest conviction that 
the Silvers are the hardest of any of the Wyandottes * 
to breed, but there is glory enough in them when one 
produces the right results to abundantly repay one for his 
trouble and worry, to say nothing of the self-satisfaction 
one reaps as a personal regard. In times gone by it was my 
opinion that the good ones just happened to come along 
with the poor ones, but experience has taught me that you 
can put almost any kind of feathers on your birds that you 
desire. 

Two years ago I had some very nicely laced wing barred 
hens and they bred me a very few laced wing barred cock- 
erels. I took one of the best of these cockerels and bred 
him back to the same pen of hens which produced him. As 
a result this year I have some of the very finest laced cock- 
erels I have ever seen. They are laced everywhere, even the 
black shanks having a distinct lacing. 

I have always paid so much attention to the combs of 
my chickens that I have escaped the troubles incident to 
neglecting that section. But I do not intend to lose sight of 
this important feature in the future, just to get the feathers 
all right, as, in my opinion, nothing mars the beauty of the 
Wyandotte tribe a3 a great, wide comb does. 

It took me a long while to find out that I must breed 
only the best to get the best and that there is nothing that 
retrogrades in breeding so rapidly as poultry. So one year , 
when I made up my breeding pens I found to my dismay 
that I only had seven hens and one cockerel that fitted the 
standard I held. Before that I thought any thing would do. 
At first I was much discouraged, but taking the old maxim 



about little acorns and gigantic oaks as an assurance of ulti- 
mate success, both as to quality and quantity, I got down to 
work. Some one has said that a rat by gnawing through a 
dyke could drown a nation. From that small pen I secured 
an. extraordinary fine lot of chicks, and they were the begin- 
ning, the starting point of the success that has been meted 
put to me since. 

I like the Wyandottes best because they acknowledge 
no peers as winter layers. They furnish eggs at a time 
when we desire eggs the most, both because of their fresh- 
ness and the stiff .market prices. As table fowls they stand 
far above all others. As sitters they display the wisdom 
of Solomon and as mothers their solicitude for their young 
is indicative of a superior order of intelligence than the 
animal kingdom is supposed to possess. One winter I placed 
two pens, one of Wyandottes and the other of Light Brah- 
mas, side by side. I fed both pens the same rations, green 
cut bone, bran, mash, wheat, corn and oats. The Brahmas 
did not produce an egg until in March, while from the Wy- 
andottes I secured more eggs than my family could use. 

In the winter I feed my hens millet in the morning, hot 
mash at noon and grain at night. I give them the millet in 
clean cut straw and clover and it does me a world of good 
to go into my hen house on a cold winter morning and see 
how the birds are working and singing for their breakfast. 
The eggs I gather at noon more than repay me for the little 
trouble and attention I devote to them. 

To beginners I will say, do not get discouraged if you 
do not get show birds at first, but put your shoulder to the 
wheel and breed only your best and in time your efforts 
will triumph. With best wishes for the success of all en- 
gaged in raising or in anyway connected with poultry, I am, 

Yours truly, 

MRS. GEORGE M. HANLY. 



PRACTICES DOUBLE MATING. 



After breeding the Barred Plymouth Rocks for seven- 
teen years, I decided to try the Silver Laced Wyandottes. 1 
had always admired their beauty and I knew their laying 
qualities were fully equal to the Barred Plymouth Rocks, 
while for table use there is none better. I began exhibiting 
this bre'-d five years ago, and have always won my share. 

I would say to the beginner in mating up his yards, that 
in my experience it laas been easier to raise high-scoring 



pullets than it is to raise cockerels that score well up in the 
nineties. Care should be taken not to mate a cockerel with 
a dark, well-laced hackle to a pullet with a dark hackle, 
as the offspring will be smutty. A cockerel for cockerel 
breeding should have a light, well-laced hackle and saddle, 
free from splashing, with an open laced breast and fluff, and 
good Wyandotte shape. Look well to the shape of the comb 
and be sure it is good. D. F. PALMER, Yorkville, 111. 



40 



ORIGIN OF THE WYANDOTTE. 



A Utility Fowl— Advocate of Single Mating System— The National Wyandotte Club. 



BY H. J. GOETTE, BREEDER, ST. PAUL, MINN. 



^1^ HE Silver Laced Wyandotte is a purely American 

J)\ production, its origin not being clouded in obscur- 

/ Jji ity as is tbe case with so many breeds. We have 

iLfidi some records dating back thirty years or more 

'■****■ which enable us to say where and by whom this 

grand breed was produced from birds which were the result 

of crossing other birds varying greatly in plumage and char- 

fl.ot©ristics 

Away 'back in the sixties a Mr. John P. Ray, of New 
York state, was breeding fowls called Sebright Cochins, 
which were the result of a cross between Sebright Bantams 
and a buff fowl called "Chittagong." The following year 
this cross was bred to a cross produced by a Silver Spangled 
Hamburg and Dark Brahmas. The object the breeders had 
in view evidently was to produce a laced bird, but up to this 
time they had not been very successful, as the lacing was 
too indistinct. It is claimed a black fowl was next intro- 
duced in the crossing which proved to be a good experiment, 
the result being a more distinct and permanent lacing. And 
so was given to the world one of the grandest fowls in ex- 
istence—the Silver Laced Wyandotte. 

In 1876 this breed was presented to the American Poul- 
try Association for admission to the standard, but a contro- 
versy arose over what this new breed should be called. 
There were almost as many names presented as there were 
breeders, of whom there were quite a number by this time. 
They were called Columbias, Eurekas, Excelsiors, Ameri- 
can, Sebright. Hambletonions, etc. There was also a diver- 
sity of opinion in regard to the comb; some favored single, 
others rose, and still others were strong champions of the 
pea comb. To finally settle all dispute and difficulties the 
American Poultry Association appointed a committee to 
decide on a name and also to prepare a standard for the 
breed, but the committee failed to make a report, so the 
nondescript had to wait till 1883, when it was admitted to 
the standard under the name of Silver Laced Wyandotte. 
Mr. Fred A. Houdlett, an enthusiastic fancier and admirer 
of the breed, suggested the name which was adopted. Mr. 
I. K. Felch prepared the first standard for the breed which 
was also approved by the American Poultry Association and 
which, with but a few minor changes, is still the standard 

in vogue to-day. 

A General Utility Fowl. 

The value of the Silver Wyandotte as a utility fowl can 
not be questioned. As egg-producers they certainly hold 
their own, being strong rivals of the non-sitting varieties in 
that respect. As a table fowl they are unexcelled. The 
plump carcass which is of medium weight, makes them very 
desirable for the market. Their flesh has not the coarse 
grain nor have they the heavy frame of bone of the larger 
breeds. Utility is the Wyandotte's strong claim, which is 
conceded by all who have given them a fair trial with proper 
care and food. As a sitter the Wyandotte hen will perform 
her work faithfully. They are not so persistent as some 
other breeds, but when allowed to sit, they are steady sit- 



ters, very few deserting their nests. This is certainly a de- 
sirable qualification. As mothers they are the peers of any. 
They are gentle and docile, which is an important point, as 
the young chicks are influenced to a great extent by the ac- 
tion of the mother hen; a nervous and "crazy" hen will 
invariably raise a wild lot of chicks. 

In singing the praises of the Wyandotte it is not my 
wish to decry other breeds. Every breed has some advan- 
tages over all others. Get the kind that suits your fancy 
and with proper care they will pay you for your labor. If 
you have not the proper time to devote to them nor interest 
enough in them to give them the care they need, my advice 
is let chickens alone, as they will only be an expense to you. 
Advocates Single Mating. 
To mate our birds in order to insure success in produc- 
ing winners, is of course the main task of the fancier. There 
are some breeders who lately have resorted to the fad called 
double mating as the shortest road to success. Why this is 
done I am at a loss to know. My experience of thirteen 
years in breeding and exhibiting the Silver Wyandotte has 
demonstrated to my satisfaction the folly of such a course. 
I consider it radically wrong and not at all necessary, in fact 
an injury to the breed. If persisted in to any great extent 
it will take us a long time to eradicate the evil effects.. A 
standard-bred male mated to a standard-bred female will 
produce standard chicks of both sexes. I know this to be a 
fact. I will not go into details for the proper mating of 
Silver Laced Wyandottes as the prospectus submitted by 
Mr. Theo. Hewes is so complete that any further remarks 
from me would be superfluous. 

National Wyandotte Club. 
Before closing this article I cannot refrain from calling 
attention to the National Wyandotte Club, which certainly 
deserves the encouragement and support of every lover of 
the Wyandotte. This is an age of advancement, and organ- 
ization with co-operation are two main features of the age. 
What does it all mean? Why is this the spirit of the times? 
Because men see that organization can accomplish what the 
individual can not; they realize that in union there is 
strength. This is also true of the poultry business. The im- 
portance of organization has already been appreciated by a 
great number of poultry breeders who have formed them- 
selves into specialty clubs and thus are better able to create 
a greater interest in their favorites. Although these spe- 
cialty clubs are still in their infancy, their influence has 
certainly brought out an increased exhibit at our shows, 
thereby making their fowls popular and creating new breed- 
ers to whom the poultry business must look for its mainte- 
nance. Now what are the breeders of Wyandottes doing 
to keep their birds in the front rank? Collectively they have 
done but very little, so I appeal to all Wyandotte breeders 
it matters not where they reside, each to send in his name 
and dollar to the secretary and be enrolled as a member, 
thereby helping the cause along 

H. J. GOETTE. 
41 




4a 



MATING SILVER WYANDOTTES. 



Wyandottes are Hardy, Quick Growers— They Mature Early and are Good Layers— What Points are 

Hard to Get — How to Mate to Produce High Grade Silvers. 



BY THEO. E. F. HOEZHAUSER, BREEDER, COLUMBIA, S. C. 




T MAY look like presumption for me to write on 
this subject in a book of this kind while there 
are so many more able than I to write about this 
most excellent breed. But having attained some 
success and thereby a certain amount of reputa- 
tion, I have been asked to contribute a short article. No 
better all-purpose fowl exists to-lay than the varie- 
ties that comprise the Wyandotte family. They are hardy, 
good growers, mature early, and when properly treated are 
layers in generous numbers of nice large eggs. These qual-, 
ities fill the requirements of the market poultryman. Now 
for the fancier. The Wyandotte family is divided into a 
number of different varieties, thereby giving the fancier a 
wide selection to find a bird suited to his needs. In solid 
colors we have the Whites, the Blacks and the Buffs, all of 
them having their strong admirers, the first and lasL more 
especially filling the wants of the market poultryman. 

For the true fancier who intends to make his pets a 
study, there is no breed or variety that gives greater oppor- 
tunities than do the different laced varieties of Wyandottes. 
Of these the oldest are the Silvers, in fact they are the oldest 
of any of the Wyandottes. They are beyond doubt, when 
properly bred and in good condition, a beautiful fowl, their 
feathering being a dense black with silvery white, the white 
under the present standard being required to slightly pre- 
dominate. They are bred quite extensively and have 
reached a very high mark of excellence, but in order to pro- 
duce them in their highest type, a great deal of study must 
be expended. Some of the hardest points to get in males 
are, a good laced breast and clear, silvery hackle, back and 
saddle. The males are generally too dark in breast, not 
having large enough white centers in the feathers. The 
saddle and often the lower part of the hackle do not show 
the glossy black stripe with narrow white center and pure 
edging of white, having instead the colors mixed, which 
gives a brownish appearance," and the backs too often are 
yellow instead of pure white. 

In females the breast is not so hard to get right, but 
the feathering on the back gives more trouble, either by 
having the white centers too small, or these centers not 
white but mossy, which detracts so much from their beauty. 
Now, in order to get good offspring we must only use the 
very best specimens as breeders, never using a mossy- 
backed female. Mate with your best females a male with 
as nearly perfect hackle and saddle, and as white a back as 
possible. You may then in a short time be able to produce 
good backs on your birds. As to breast you need not dis- 
card a male that shows white centers of a small size. Be 
sure that he possesses good, clear centers even in a small 
degree, and that the black is pure and without the white 
edging to feathers. The females should have extra large, 
clear centers on the breast, the black being very dense and 
also without the white edging. By mating only such birds 
for a few years, provided they are of the proper shape, we 
may hope to see a hackle and saddle on our Silvers such as 
we see on a good dark Brahma. 



My Favorites — The Silvers. 

As all of the different varieties of this breed have in 
common the same characteristics and good qualities, I will 
devote a few lines to my favorites, the Silvers. 

In the first place, the Wyandottes are as hearty as can 
be from their earliest existence to a good old age, and the 
only thing a prospective beginner needs to keep in mind is 
to get his stock, either as eggs for hatching or fowls, from 
some reliable breeder who keeps his stock in the best of 
health. Such stock and eggs are usually vigorous and cal- 
culated to give good results in the hands of the buyer. Right 
here it may be well to state that cheapness is not always a 
sure sign of poor stock, neither do high prices in all cases 
insure the best. But I would advise the buyer if possible to 
visit some of the poultry shows, get acquainted with the 
breeders and buy from the one who seems most to appeal to 
his liking. A good beginning is half the battle, first, be- 
cause it will increase your interest in your fowls, if they are 
really good ones, and secondly, it will at once make cus- 
tomers of your immediate neighbors if they see you have 
something good. 

When so started in the poultry business it will be very 
necessary that the beginner be a subscriber to some few good 
poultry publications and earnestly study them. Such books 
as are on the market that treat of his breed, also should be 
in the hands of the beginner, and most of all he must have 
the American Standard of Perfection. Supposing a beginner 
to have complied with these rules, he is now ready to start 
in the business. 

In mating Silver Wyandottes much care must be exer- 
cised. Select a male that is squarely built, not too large, 
but as vigorous as possible, with good comb, not too large, 
short, but nicely curved neck having a fine colored hackle 
which should be of medium length and each feather should 
be glossy black with a small white center, the whole to be 
finished with white. The breast feathers should have clear 
white centers, but they need not be extremely large. I am 
of the opinion that if the white centers are about one-third 
of the whole, it is better for breeding purposes than if they 
are larger. The back should be broad, of medium length 
and silvery white, the saddle and tail coverts being colored 
the same as the hackle. The wings should be carried well 
up, giving the back a broad appearance. They should be 
well folded and showing if possible a double white bar 
through the black. The tail should be pure, glossy black 
and rather small, considering the size of the bird, 'and it 
must not be carried too high. The body should be full and 
rounded, the feathers being black with small, white centers. 
The fluff should be abundant enough to give a full appear- 
ance, and should be black with a frosting of white. The 
legs should be medium in length and stout and as near 
orange color as possible; feet and toes same color as legs 
and the toes rather long. 

With such a male mate females that have heads rather 
small but flat, with a small, nicely shaped comb; good bay 



43 



VI IK WYAN IHViTKS. 



me as male; In color, silvery gray, not so light as tho 
male; neck short, well curved, with an abundance of hackle 
which should be rather short, the feathers showing move 
black than in the males. Tho black must be glossy and each 
feather edged with white, giving the whole a silvery gray 
appearance. The breast should be very full and rounded 
and the centers large— say covering about two-thirds of the 
whole. The back should be glossy black, with good-sized 
white centers, about half white and half black until the 
saddle and tail coverts are reached. These may be the same 
S the breast— the centers about two-thirds of the whole 
feather. The wings should show the medium white centers 
in lines running across, and should be well folded. The tail 
should be rather small and carried rather low and should 



be glossy black. The body should be very full and round 
and show white centers of medium size. The fluff is the 
same as in the male and very abundant. Legs and toes 
should be stout and of as good an orange color as possible. 
The color of the legs of hens is seldom as good as the males. 
With such a mating, if these females have good size, 
vigor and health and you do your duty and keep them in 
health, you can rest assured that you will raise some chicks 
that will stand the test of hot competition and yet come out 
on top. Such at least has been my experience, and I am 
sure that if the beginner will start right, apply the above 
rules and do his duty by his chicks, he will be successful 
likewise. 

THEO. E. P. HOLZHAUSER. 



ENGLISH WYANDOTTES IN AMERICA. 



How Some English Birds Were Handled by the Importer to Produce Good Results — Faults and Virtues 

of the English Silvers. 



BY P. H. GOSSARD, BREEDER, MISSOURI VAI^EY, IOWA. 




ELATING my experience in importing and 
breeding the English Silvers, will be the best 
way in which I can give a clear and concise 
view of them from my standpoint. My attention 
was first called to their merits as bred in Eng- 
land, by article which appeared in the Reliable 
Poultry Journal. This contribution was from a fancier 
whom I knew to be truthful and through his influence I was 
led to import three pullets and one cockerel. 

These birds arrived here March 28, 1898, having been 
sixteen days making the journey. They came in fairly good 
condition, excepting that they were nearly famished for 
water, due, in my opinion, to carelessness upon the part of 
the express messengers in this country. I am informed that 
birds making the ocean voyage unaccompanied, are shipped 
in stock vessels and have the best of care and attention. 
All charges, such as feed, attendant and ocean carriage, are 
prepaid by the shipper, but from New York or Boston they 
come collect on delivery. Should I import again I should 
do so in October or November for the following reasons: 
The English hatching season is about six weeks earlier than 
ours and the birds are mature by October. Consequently 
they would become acclimated and ready for business the 
following spring. The first clutch of eggs laid by my hens 
did not hatch well, due, no doubt, to the change of climate 
and food. 

My first impression of this stock was a mixture of sur- 
prise and regret. I was surprised at their wonderful lacing, 
which was far better than I had expected to see. It seemed 
to me no artist's brush could improve upon what nature had 
done for these birds, but, alas, no matter how much we ad- 
mire nice lacing there are other attributes of the Wyandotte 
family which are essential and which were entirely lacking 
in this cockerel. Aside from his plumage no fancier could 
tell to what breed he belonged. The females, however, more 
nearly represented Wyandotte shape as bred here. 

At a glance I knew they would be a failure if bred as 
imported, bo the English cockerel was mated to domes- 
tic females and a native cockerel to the English females. 



The result was a success. Do not understand me to say 
every chick hatched was a prize winner. Far from it. Dis- 
qualifications cropped out thick and fast. Many pure white 
chicks were hatched. About ten per cent came with single 
combs and a like number with feathered legs, but there were 
enough good ones to amply repay me for my trouble and ex- 
pense. Right here let me say for the benefit of those 
expecting to import, I would put all my money in either 
males or females, but I would not get both. You cannot 
hope to succeed here breeding the English Silvers pure. It 
would be an useless expenditure, unless you have money to 
"throw at the birds," and want to breed both ways as I did. 
My preference would be for females. However, this is only 
a matter of opinion. 

I am convinced the English lose sight of everything but 
lacing and in order to get this they make some very radical 
matings. I have often been asked the question, "What 
blood do you think they use to produce their Silvers ?° My 
answer is, ''Light Brahma." - The feathered legs and white 
birds indicate this to me, also the very large size and shape. 
I had cockerels which weighed in November over nine 
pounds, and I could trace in a few of them Light Brahma 
shape. 

The cockerels breed less true to the American standard 
than do the pullets. The more noticeable defects are poor 
hackle, saddle and under-color. The hackle and saddle lack 
the distinct black stripe in the center of the feather. The 
surface color may be good, but it is more apt to look smutty. 
Where we find the black stripe in the hackle of domestic 
males the English have a clouded appearance. I should 
compare it to a Barred Plymouth Rock with indistinct bar- 
ring—the white and black mingle. The under-color of the 
English birds is f»oo light. 

You ask how I would mate this English stock for best 
results? To produce exhibition females I would select a 
native male or female of typical shape and breed to the 
opposite sex of English stock. This cross ought to and will 
greatly improve our Silvers. If a native male is bred to 



44 



The wyandottes. 



English females do not use a black breasted male. Some 
breeders advise this, but do not listen to them. We are 
striving to produce open laced birds. How, I ask, can we 
hope to succeed without having the white somewhere from 
which to draw. My experience has been such that when I 
want good pullets I use a light male every time. 

How would I produce up-to-date standard males? Well, 
there you have me. I do not know. It is a hit or miss 
game. I am in the experimental stage now, but I have 
learned nothing definite as yet. I am inclined to the opin- 
ion, however, that we will have to practice single matings 
and then we may fail. Too much white is required to pro- 
duce the open laced breast, fluff and shank, not to have 
it appear in under-color of hackle and saddle. So far as I 
am concerned I should like to breed standard birds, but if I 
cannot then I prefer to take my chances in the show room 
with a male bird having almost perfect lacing on wing, 
breast, fluff and thigh, though he be faulty as I have indi- 
cated. Why am I so particular to detail the faults of English 



stock? Well, we hear so much lately about English Silvers 
that many an American may be induced to give up hardly 
earned money for this stock, expecting to get something 
like "the picture on the wall." For this reason I dwell upon 
their faults as I find them. On the other hand, I find many 
virtues and I would not be without this blood for twice what 
it cost me— about $150. With good horse sense and a little 
head work one ought in three years to have them breed 
uniformly good birds, having eliminated most of the dis- 
qualifications that first came. I have thus far been able to 
retain the English or Sebright lacing and I have improved 
their shape. 

What is nicer than a well laced Silver Wyandotte? I 
have a certain pullet in mind now. Take her in your hands; 
examine her closely. Notice what grand centers on wing, 
back and cushion. See the lustrous black lacing. Is she 
not a "thing of beauty and a joy forever?" Who would not 
work three years to produce such a bird? 

P. H. GOSSARD. 



WYANDOTTES IN ENGLAND. 



Winners at the Greatest English Poultry Show-— English Standard for Wyandottes— Reported by a 

Prominent American Poultry Judge. 



BY SHARPE BUYTERFIELD, LONDON, ONT., CAN. 



[From Mr. Butterfield's report of Crystal Palace, Eondon, Eug., Poultry Show, in Reliable Poultry Journal, February, 1898.] 




SPENT quite a little time among the Silvers, for 
they were a great surprise to me. I wish to say 
that the English are a long way ahead of us in Sil- 
ver cocks. Wyandotte cocks, Golden or Silver, 
numbered ten, all the winners being Silvers. The 
Wyandottes were judged by the Rev. Mr. Comberholme, 
Clayton, LeMoors, Lancashire^ a celebrated breeder of Silver 
Wyandottes who won first, second and third at the Dairy 
Show in October on Silver Wyandotte cockerel. He judged 
them satisfactorily to every one. 

First prize cock was a very large bird, not as good shape 
as we would like, but the breast, fluff and thighs were more 
perfect in lacing than we ever saw on a Silver Sebright, but 
much heavier than Sebright lacing, just as much heavier as 
the proportionate sizes of the two breeds. And it was strong 
enough in black so that it showed quite a greenish lustre. 
He was not so good in neck, hackle and saddle as our best 
American birds, but his breast! You could scarcely look at 
any other part of the bird. It was far beyond any Wyandotte 
breeder's dreams. Second cock was a grand shaped Wyan- 
dotte with grand comb and much better in neck and saddle. 
Though very even right up to the beak in lacing, there was 
not strength enough in the black to give any lustre or sheen. 
Third was another grand one, just as perfect nearly as the 
first prize cock, but it was not so large. In fact, there was 
only one breast such as we are used to seeing in our country, 
and of course he helped wonderfully in the class to show the 
contrast between the good ones and the middling ones. _ 
There were six hens, first going to Mr. T. C. Heath. I 
asked him to take ber out of the coop to let me examine her, 
and though it was against the rules he obliged me. She was 



clear in every center all over and was just heavy enough in 
lacing so that you could see every feather's clean, white cen- 
ter, and the lacing went out as clean and distinct to the end 
of her fluff and right under her body and down her thighs 
to the hock joints. She was grand in flights, good in neck, 
and larger in size than we often see. Second was very large 
in centers, but lacing was not quite so even. Third was not 
through the molt and her legs were quite pale yellow and 
she was a little frosted on breast, but really had a grand 
wing and cushion. The whole six hens were fine. 

In cockerels the Silvers did not compete with the Gol- 
dens. Twenty Silver cockerels faced the judge, and first and 
cup went to T. C. Heath, also the second. The cup winner 
was the bird I spoke of in my last. One could not wish for a 
more evenly laced breast. It ran up to the beak and down 
to the end of the fluff, and down his thighs right to the hock. 
He had nicely laced bars. Hackle and saddle not so good as 
one would wish, but he had grand flights. Second was also 
fine in breast color, but a little too dark in neck and saddle. 
Third, nice neck, neat comb, fairly good breast, nice wing. 
Ten of the cockerels had grandly marked breasts. 

The pullets numbered nineteen. First, cup and second 
stood just as they did at the Dairy, when Mr. Heath sold the 
second prize pullet for $90 and gave $125 to own her again. 
Third is a little darkej than the two preceding, but is a right 
good pullet. The marking being heavier spoils the openness 
and clearness of her marking and easily places her behind 
the other two. If she had been as large as the other two 
pullets she would have looked more open and it would have 
been a hard tussle. You could easily say there were ten out 
of the nineteen that were really good pullets. You could 



45 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



siv any oi the whito frosting OU the edge of the 
feathers which is so prevalent with us. especially when we 

the clean white centers and very often when we do not 

get the large, clean centers, the frosting is very visible. The 
English breeders deserve .meat credit for their Silver Wyan- 
dottes. They set out with the birds they got from America 
to make them have open, clear, large -enters, and they suc- 

led. 

One of the wrongs thai kept the Americans back was 
the standard requirement demanding' spangle bars, for I am 
sure it is impossible to breed grandly laced birds from birds 
that have any spangling blood about them. I hope the new 
standard requirements will be in accordance with the laws 
of nature, and then the Americans will soon have a much 
better and surer way of breeding grand Silver Wyandottes 
than heretofore. [Note — The new standard has done away 




^NiirlS^ 



PRIZE- WINNING SILVER LACED WYANDOTTES, AS BRED AND EXHIBITED IN ENGLAND, 18%. 

(Sketched from L,ife.) 

with the spangle bars. — Ed.] The spangle bars have been a 
great curse and have discouraged many a Wyandotte breeder 
who has quit in disgust because good ones never came to 
him who used cocks such as the standard required. I do not 
want your readers to he led away by some saying, "0, Silver 

/right lacing — we don't want it." The English birds are 
much heavier laced than any Sebright ever was. It is just 
heavy enough to keep a fancier looking and looking, and 

ry look fills you with pleasure, just as a beautiful picture 
does. 

As to price, Mr. Spencer told me that at the show h"e had 
refused £25 f $12-jj for the second prize cock. I heard the 
Silver and Golden Wyandotte breeders talking more pounds 
for a good bird than we talk dollars. 

English Standard for Wyandottes. 
that your readers can see the Wyandotte Club stan- 
dard I herewith give you a copy, revised by the Wyandotte 



Club, 1S94: Male, comb eight points, rose, prim and even 
on the head, full of fine work, low and square at front, taper- 
ing towards the spike which should follow the curve of the 
neck. Head, five points, short, and head plumage silvery 
white: face, bright red: beak, horn color shading into or 
tipped with yellow; eyes, bright bay. Ear-lobes and wattles, 
eight points, bright red, medium length, fine in texture. 
Neck, six points, well arched with full hackle, plumage sil- 
very white with clear black stripe through center. Breast, 
fourteen points, full and round; plumage, web white with 
deep black lacing from throat to back of thighs, showing 
green lustre; under-color dark slate. Keel bone straight. 
Back, fourteen points, broad and short, color silver white 
free from yellow or straw color; saddle full and broad, rising 
with concave sweep to tail; hackle plumage same as neck. 
Tail, seven points, well developed, spread at base, true tail 

feathers carried rather up- 
right, sickles of medium 
length, true tail feathers, 
sickles and coverts black, 
showing green lustre. Wings, 
twelve points, medium size, 
nicely folded to the side; 
wing bow silvery white, 
shoulder tops laced with 
black, coverts heavily laced, 
forming at least two well de- 
fined bars; secondaries black 
on inner and wide white lac- 
ing on outer web; primaries, 
or flights, black on inner and 
broadly laced with white on 
outer edge. Fluff, six points, 
full and abundant, black or 
dark slate powdered with 
grey. Legs, six points, thighs 
of medium length well cov- 
ered with soft webless feath- 
ers, color black or dark slate 
powdered with grey; shanks 
medium length, strong but. 
fine in bone, color bright yel- 
low; toes straight, well 
spread, color same as shanks. 
General characteristics — sym- 
metry, size and condition re- 
sembling a Brahma. Carriage 
very graceful and well bal- 
anced. Adults eight and one- 
half pounds, cockerels seven 
pounds. 

Females: Comb eight 
points, same as male except- 
ing size. Head five points, same as male excepting size. Ear- 
lobes and wattles eight points, same as male. Neck six 
points, medium length, short, full hackle, cOlor same as 
male. Breast fourteen points, full and round, plumage, 
under-color dark slate. Web white, with deep regular black 
lacing showing green lustre. Keel bone straight. Back four- 
teen points, short and wide at shoulder, color and lacing 
same as breast. Tail seven points, well spread at base, color 
black showing green lustre, coverts black with white cen- 
ters. Wings twelve points, medium size, nicely folded to 
the side, color and lacing same as breast; secondaries and 
primaries same as male. Fluff six points, same as male. 
Legs six points, same as male. General characteristics same 
as male. Hens six and a half pounds. Pullets five pounds. 
The points of Golden Laced Wyandottes are the same as 
the Silver Laced, substituting for the silver a rich golden 
ground color. They have made such great strides that in 



46 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



fluff and thighs they will have it read, "Centers on the fluff 
like breast, and on thighs continuing the lacing to the hock 
joint." 

Please note serious defects for which birds should be 
passed or left out. Males and females: Any feathers on 
shanks or toes; permanent white or yellow in the ear-lobes, 
covering more than one-third of their surface; combs other 
than rose, or falling over on one side, or so large as to ob- 
struct the sight; wry tails; deformed beaks; crooked backs; 
shanks other than yellow in color, except cocks and hens, 
which may shade to light straw-color; feathers other than 
white in any part of the plumage in the white variety, and 
white in tail or any conspicuous spotting or peppering on 
ground of feathers in Silvers or Goldens. Disqualifications: 
Any fraudulent drawing of feathers, dyeing, dressing or 
trimming. 

Golden Wyandottes are in still greater favor than the 
Silvers. Thirty-six cockerels on exhibition. They follow 
their ideas as to breast marking, and one could never breed 
nor see more evenly laced breasts, the lacing going out to 
the end of the fluff and down to the hock joint. About the 
only fault they find is that they can not get them yet with 
good striped neck hackle and saddle, though the first prize 
cockerel was fairly well striped. The ground color or edg- 
ing on hackle and saddle is too yellow, a fault we often see 
in America. Thirty-six cockerels competing in one class 
show in how much favor they are held in England. 

There were thirty-two Golden pullets shown. The first 
prize pullet was grand, rich in ground color, one of the high- 
est types of golden bay. She was not as evenly laced as the 
Silvers and was not as well laced as some we see on our side 
of the water, still she would rank pretty high on our side. 
Second was not so brilliant in bottom color, but very uni- 
form in ground color and I think a little better laced than 
first prize bird. Third was a rather small pullet, probably 



the evenest in lacing, but she was not so sound in bottom 
color as the other two and not clear enough in bars and wing 
end. Balance of class were pretty good had the three win- 
ners been away. 

The seven White Wyandotte cocks or cockerels (they 
competed together) were not as good as we find at the New 
York Show, where all the giants meet. First and cup was a 
very nice shaped bird, but serrations on comb were very 
large and not so nice a shaped comb as one would wish; still 
I thought him the best of his class take him all in all. Hens 
or pullets, fifteen in number. First, a nice white White 
Wyandotte hen with a grand Wyandotte head and very good 
comb. She will look better when her tail is more developed. 
She was hardly through the molt. Second, a very good 
shaped hen with nice color. We noticed quite a little down 
between her toes, but that does not disqualify in England, 
though it is a serious objection. I think we in America have 
been too severe in disqualifying for this fault, as often much 
inferior birds in every particular have had to win over those 
which happened to have down that it would almost take a 
microscope to find. Third, good shape and color, but not 
quite as fit as the other two placed over her. 

"Any other variety of Wyandottes" takes in the Buff, 
Cuckoo or those like the Barred Plymouth Rock, Partridge 
and Buff Laced. They made an entry of twenty-one cocks 
or cockerels. First went to a very nice Buff; second to the 
Cuckoo; third, Buff, a very sound tailed bird, but he was 
quite narrow in body shape. Hens or pullets, twenty in 
(number. First, a very nice, even Buff pullet, very sound in 
color. Second, a Buff laced pullet which was really a grand 
(shaped Wyandotte. The breast lacing was not so perfect as 
in the other parts of her body. Third was of a very nice, 
even buff color. Wyandottes make quite a show when 200 
3f them are at one exhibition. 

S. BUTTERFIELD. 





RELIABLE 
POULTRY 
JOURNAL- 
COPY RK.MTED 
- IS99- 



GOLDEN WYANDOTTES. 

By SEWELL, AUGUST, 1899. 

In characteristics, shape, standard requirements and plumage the Golden Wyandottes are similar to the Silver Wyandottes, (see page 34). 
except that where the ground color of the Silvers is white, in the Goldens it is a golden bay. The improvement in the 
Golden Wyandottes during the past few years has been most pronounced, some breeders of the variety show- 
ing specimens so fine that they'can almost be compared with the work of a first class artist 
with a brush. They are worthy of their name, "The Beauty Breed," 



48 



THE GOLDEN LACED WYANDOTTES. 




ILVER WYANDOTTE breeders find it rather 
humiliating to be obliged to admit that the 
breeders of the golden variety are ahead of us 
from a fancy point of view, but such is the case, 
and we might just as well admit it and then look 
for the cause. There is no getting around the fact, the Golden 
Wyandotte breeders are not only producing individuals that 
excel the Silvers, but they are able so to mate their pens 
that a greater per cent of good birds are bred therefrom. 
While we wish to give full credit to all fanciers who make 
improvements, we wish to call attention to the fact that 
Golden Wyandottes are easy to breed as compared with the 
Silvers. One would think at first glance that a Golden 
Wyandotte, which is the counterpart of a Silver Wyandotte, 
except in color, would be just as hard to breed, but the fact 
remains, the old heads learned it long ago, that the hardest 
color in the world to get right is the color on which the sun 
has the most effect. In the Silvers variety we have just such 
a color. It is the hardest to produce and one of the very 
hardest to hold after we get it. The golden color of the 
Golden Wyandotte is less affected by the sun than the color 
of any of the other members of the Wyandotte family. For 
this reason it is one of the first to show a decided improve- 
ment in fancy markings. We do not wish to be understood 
as claiming that there is no great amount of patience or 
skill required to breed Golden Wyandottes. Far from it. 
They are one of the hardest of the parti-colored varieties to 
get right, but they are not so hard as the Silvers. 

The marked improvement in this variety of Wyandottes 
in the past few years is astonishing, and its promoters may 
well feel proud of the record it has made as a fancy fowl. In 
the past few years I have handled specimens that were 
simply wonderful. The markings were so fine that one 
could in justice compare them with the work of some first- 
class artist with a brush. This is true of both male and 
female, but more especially of the male. Where we find the 
most trouble is in the color of the back and breast of the 
female, and this trouble is brought about by the same cause 
that is holding the Silvers back, which is, mating birds to- 
gether whose breeding for years has been on different lines. 
I hope for the good of the Golden and Silver varieties that 
the feathering as shown on the charts may become a fixed 
standard in the breeding of these popular fowls, so that we 
may all have a fixed purpose in our mind when we make our 
matings, and not go on guessing forever. I have tried to 
give you some ideas, especially about the back of a Wyan- 
dotte, which if put in practice will be to the best interests 
of the breed. Time will prove it. The Wyandotte is not a 
Sebright. That fact every breeder must have firmly fixed 
in his mind. They not only differ in markings, but 
also in the formation of the feathers. If you will take the 
trouble to compare a feather from the back of your best 
Wyandotte female with one from the back of your best Se- 
bright, you will find that the Wyandotte feather has a dif- 
ferent form and more closely resembles a Hamburg feather 
than a Sebright. 

Importance of Under-color. 

It is my honest opinion that it is impossible to produce 
a strain of birds that will last three years without a good 
per cent of dark slate in the under-color. You must have 
black in the blood or you cannot lace your birds with it. 
When you try to put Sebright lacing on all sections you 
simply run out of coloring matter and when the bird molts 



as a hen, you have a faded under-color with a mixed sur- 
face color that makes her good for nothing but to eat, as she 
is no longer fit to breed. I admire open centers on our 
Wyandottes, both Silver and Golden, but I want it on the 
surface in such feathers as are shown on the chart, which 
are just such feathers as are winning in England and other 
foreign countries where color breeding is farther along 
than in America. 

The markings of our females simply follow nature and 
if we go to her for our ideas we seldom go wrong. The 
markings on the breast are larger than on any other section 
and they gradually grow smaller as they approach the tail. 
In the standard description of them and in the cuts we have 
had made, we have tried to conform to that rule. When we 
try to reverse nature's ideas, we get a big white center in the 
cushion of our pullets, and the next season we get a back 
that is a disgrace to the name of Wyandotte. In addition to 
this, we get a white under-color that crops out in the wing 
primaries and the roots of the tail in females, and we get a 
broad white band on the breast of our cockerels. Where 
we gain in one section we lose in three others, and it seems 
to me we would better try to improve along other and safer 
lines. The Golden Wyandotte breeders have produced some 
very fine open centered birds, but they are no more hand- 
some than a bird with medium centers that are clean cut 
and clear. 

We sometimes make a fad a hobby-horse to ride down 
hill and this has been the case with the open laced Wyan- 
dottes. The New York show has had much to do with this 
and comparison judging has played no small part in en- 
couraging this color fad, not alone as regards Wyandottes, 
but all varieties of fancy fowls.' We favor comparison only 
so far as it conforms strictly to the standard. When it 
leaves the standard and allow three and four-pound birds 
to win prizes as has been done, then we say, you would bet- 
ter get back to the score card as soon as possible. 

The color cuts for the Golden variety are just the same 
as for the Silver, using a ground color of silver in one vari- 
ety and a ground color of golden in the other. In shape they 
are a fac-simile of the Silvers, or should be, and what we 
have said of the shape of the Silvers refers just as forcibly 
to the Goldens. The points that I would advise amateurs 
to guard against in making a selection of this breed are as 
follows: First, see that the markings are clear cut and that 
the under-color is good, not white or gold. In females be 
careful of the outside edging of gold which is so frequent 
in the laced varieties. See that the inside of the feather 
is clear and not specked or flecked with black. In mating 
your birds, try to mate a male and female that have the 
same kind of markings and whose golden centers are as 
near the same size as possible. 

Note — Mr. Ira Keller has given us one of the best arti- 
cles ever written on the Golden variety. His illustrations 
are up-to-date. He is one of the best breeders of this vari- 
ety in America, and his open laced birds are much admired 
by fanciers of the Goldens wherever shown, but still I warn 
the amateur against too open centers. Remember your ex- 
perience, no matter how intelligent you may be, is very lim- 
ited, compared to that of a man who has been in the busi- 
ness seventeen years. He can make a mating produce fine 
specimens where the amateur would only make a poor show- 
ing. The fifty per cent color rule as illustrated in the chart 
is safer for the amateur to try to produce, and many such 
birds can be found in Mr, Keller's yards. 

THEO. HEWES, 



49 




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50 



THE GOLDEN WYANDOTTES. 



A Beautifully Marked Variety— Superior for Table Purposes— Good Layers— Their Origin— Standard Requirements in Lacing of 

Feathers— Reproduction of Feathers from Live Specimens, with Comments Thereon— How to Mate to Produce 

Standard Colored Birds— Introducing New Blood— Judicious Inbreeding Necessary. 



BY IRA C. KEI^IvSR, PROSPECT, OHIO. 




N WRITING of one of America's most beautiful 
productions in poultry, it is not our intention to go 
into a lengthy account of its origin, for most of the 
breeders of to-day are familiar with this subject. 
There are a number of families of the Goldens. The 
most successful was the Winnebago strain, originated by the 
late Joseph McKeen, whose name will live in the history of 
this variety of fowls. 

In 1880 Mr. McKeen crossed the Winnebago fowl with 
the Silver Wyandotte to produce the Golden. He crossed 
and recrossed the offspring with the Silver until there was 
but one-fourth of the Winnebago blood remaining. So the 
Golden Wyandotte of to-day has but one-fourth to one- 
eighth of the Winnebago blood left. The Winnebago fowl 
was a large black-red bird, somewhat the shape of the Wy- 
andotte, with rose comb, red lobes and yellow legs. The 
plumage of the male was much the same as that of the Part- 
ridge Cochin, while the hen resembled the Malay Game hen. 
Other strains were made by using the larger Wyandotte as 
the foundation, crossing with Partridge Cochins, Golden 
Hamburgs or Brown Leghorns for the desired end. As soon 
as the McKeen Goldens were put upon the market the own- 
ers of the other crosses soon learned that their birds were 
inferior. They drew blood from the fountain head, so to 
speak, and continued to cross the large Winnebago strain, 
until now the different types do not vary to a great extent. 
Our experience in breeding them dates back to 1882, and 
we have watched the different strains with much interest. 
The crossing with the Silver Wyandotte gave the Golden 
new blood and vigor. It is a hardy fowl, with flesh of the 
finest quality, probably not equaled by any other fowl except 
the Indian Game. Its skin is as yellow as gold. As an all- 
the-year-round layer, it has few equals and not many super- 
iors. As to the number of eggs laid during the year, we 
have personally known of egg contests where the Golden 
Wyandotte excelled the Plymouth Rock. Not only have we 
made this test, but we know of other breeders who have put 
flocks of the two breeds under the same treatment and con- 
ditions and got the same results as we did. A breeder in the 
south recently wrote to us that his Golden Wyandottes had 
outlaid his Brown Leghorns under like conditions. 

Claims to Utility, as Well as Beauty. 

It has been claimed by their admirers that the Golden 
Wyandotte is one of America's greatest general purpose 
fowls. Add to their usefulness their beauty, and you have 
an ideal fowl. Where can be found a fowl that carries so 
beautiful a plumage upon so useful a form? The female has 
a deep, rich golden color with almost every feather richly 
laced with black; while in the male, the color runs from 
rich gold to a peacock green, nearly as brilliant as the latter. 
This combination of fancy plumage on a Wyandotte form 
produces an ideal fowl. The Wyandotte shape is strictly its 



own, no other fowl having a shape like it. The broad, full, 
round breast, the broad back, the deep body, the short, wide- 
spread tail, and short legs with heavy thighs combine to 
make the Wyandotte a meaty fowl throughout. We know 
of but one breed that carries so much breast meat. 

We said fourteen years ago that in due time the Golden 
Wyandotte would become popular the world over. We had 
shipped them to ten different foreign countries. To-day 
they are popular in Europe as well as in this country — in 
fact, are bred nearly the world over, and there are more of 
them being sent abroad now than ever before. In England 
the Wyandotte is one of the most popular breeds. 

Different Varieties of Wyandottes. 

The Wyandotte breed is divided into a number of sub- 
varieties, the Silver and Golden Laced, Buff Laced, Violette 
Laced, White, Black, Buff, Golden and Silver Penciled and 
Columbian. So if one admires the Wyandotte form, he can 
suit his taste as to color. How many of these different colors 
will stand and become popular we are not able to say. Some 
may go to the wall. We sometimes think the Wyandotte 
should have been bred as a laced fowl, and we think it would 
have been better for the breed, as the original was laced. 
However, there is room for them all. The more varieties, 
the more breeders; the more breeders, the more and better 
poultry shows, more and better poultry journals and more 
trade in general. The Golden variety furnished the founda- 
tion for the Violette Laced, Buff Laced, Buff and Partridge 
or Golden Penciled, as it is called. 

The Wyandotte does well and yields good returns under 
good care, in close confinement or with free range. The 
Golden variety is well adapted to the city breeder, for it does 
not show the dirt or soot so much as its lighter cousins. 
Though it does well in confinement, it, however, likes free 
range, as does all poultry. I think I never saw a fowl that, 
if given its liberty, would range so far away as the Golden. 
It is not an uncommon thing for them to range nearly one- 
half mile away from their sleeping quarters in search of 
insects. We all know that the more a fowl ranges, the bet- 
ter it does. They mature and feather rapidly and are ready 
for the table at an early age. 

Pleasure in Breeding for Fancy Points. 

The Goldens are an interesting and fascinating variety 
to breed, as there are so many fancy points to breed for. 
Anyone who breeds laced fowls knows what he has to look 
after to make a success of it. The careful and watchful 
breeder never feeds his chicks that he does not notice their 
progress in growth and the new plumage appearing. He 
will note the laced wing coverts of the little cockerels; will 
watch the first lacing to see whether the gold color is good. 
Then the rich color and striping of the neck and back ap- 
pear. He keeps close watch on the breast to see the beauti- 
ful lacings coming. .They appear at three weeks old to three 



51 



T11K WVANnoTTKS. 



months, ana Improve till the bird is eight to ten months old. 
When a breeder Bees one of his cockerels developing a nice, 
in striped nook ana back, with correct wing ana a well 
a wins bar, with breast ol largo, open center lacing to 
suit his aye, a good form ana good bead points, he will 
watch that youngster with an intense interest. He will give 
him every care, ana the following winter the bird will be 
heard Of In the show room. 

He watches the development of the pullets with the 
same interest. First the lacing appears upon the wing 
Shoulders, then the lacing that forms the wing bars next 
appears, while he awaits with more interest the lacing of 
the back ana cushion. If this comes clear laced, free from 
mossing, he knows that he has a promising bird. A clear 
laced back visually carries good lacing on the wings. Next 




|RR C KELLER 

PR?SPtCT- Ohio 



THE BEAUTY BREED — GOLDEN WYANDOTTE MALE 

he notes the lacing of the breast, and keeps a close watch 
of the breast and cushion, for these two sections are apt to 
get poorer. The cushion is liable to become mossy, and the 
lacing of the breast is liable to grow weaker. If all sections 
hold good and improve until the chick is eight months old 
and the bird has the proper lacing of the right sized centers, 
with the correct, deep, rich, golden bay color, good form and 
head points, she will be a winner. 

There is more interest in producing the correct lacing 
upon the different varieties of the Laced Wyandotte than 
upon the Sebright or Polish, for the two latter varieties have 
been bred so many years that one rarely sees a specimen 
that is not well laced. Not so in the Wyandotte. It contin- 
ually throws a good per cent of pullets that are not prime in 
lacing. Some have mossing, while others show weak lacing 
of breast. The Golden has always been a profitable fowl for 



the fancier. Good specimens have been in heavy demand — 
in tact, the demand at good prices has been in excess of the 
supply. It is no uncommon thing for a fancy Golden Wyan- 
dotte to sell all the way from $5 to $100, and large numbers 
exchange hands at good prices each year. 
THE MALE. 
We next take up the male and shall endeavor to clearly 
indicate the faults and the good points as they, now exist in 
this variety of beautiful and prolific standard-bred fowl. 
There is something very attractive about the Golden Wyan- 
dotte male. In him we have the beautiful, compact form 
and the strength and sprightliness of a medium-weight fowl. 
They are not as slo.w of motion nor as sluggish as the heavy 
Asiatic. A ten-pound Wyandotte male is active, steps 
lightly, is very proud in his bearing. His crow is not shrill 

like that of a Leghorn, nor dull and 
heavy like that of a Brahma or 
Cochin, but has a rich, full, mellow 
tone that is pleasing to the ear. It 
is a sound good for a man to hear 
when he awakes at early morn. It 
speaks to him of health, strength, 
vigor, and seems to say, "It is time 
the work of to-day was under way." 
Shape of Male. 
All breeders of standard poul- 
try rightly consider shape to be one 
of the most important points, as 
serving the utility value of the 
breed or variety and adding much 
to the beauty of it. A Wyandotte 
male perfect in shape is not often 
seen, and the same is naturally true 
of all other varieties. Perfection is 
a very difficult thing to attain. The 
Golden Wyandotte is rapidly im- 
proving in shape, and to-day a per- 
:._ son may see a goodly number that 

approach perfection in shape. 

There is a diversity of opinion 

among breeders as to the correct 

Wyandotte male shape. Notice the 

" „" "- cut of "Major 8th," a Golden Wy- 

. _-^_ andotte. The shape of this male is 

good. He stands for the general 
type that pleases the writer, with 
some exceptions. The comb is a 
little low, is too flat upon the head 
and is a trifle wide, although, as the 
drawing shows, this comb is really 
a good one. The head is also good; 
it is short, with the required broad 
skull, not long, narrow and "snaky" 
in appearance. The eye is bright. The wattles are of me- 
dium length and well rounded. The neck is not long and 
scantily feathered, but is of medium length, is well arched,, 
showing vigor, and is abundantly feathered. 

This male bird', as shown in the etching, is good in back 
shape, a section that is often faulty by being too narrow and 
too straight from center of back to tail. Notice particularly 
in'the drawing the broad, strong back and the full concave 
sweep to tail. 

The breast of this bird shows up full, broad, round and 
is carried well down — a valuable utility feature of the bird, 
for the meat is there. Avoid, in your breeding bird's, flat- 
ness and narrowness in breast, both in males and females. 

The tail is one of the most beautiful sections of a Wyan- 
dotte. It should be only of medium length, V-shaped, with 
abundant coverts and lesser sickles, The Wyandotte tail 



52 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



should not be pinched and flat, as frequently seen, but well 
spread apart and reasonably full. This section has been 
hard to produce and control in the Golden Wyandottes, and 
too few of our breeders have given close enough attention 
to it. It does not matter how good a bird is in other re- 
spects, if it carries a poor tail. This detracts greatly from 
his beauty. 

The body of the "Wyandotte male should be of medium 
length and abundantly feathered. The thighs should be 
strong and well meated; shanks straight, stout, of medium 
length and set well apart — the width of your hand. 

Plumage of Male. 

We present herewith two half-tone engravings, 
showing photographic reproductions of actual feathers 
plucked from two exhibition Golden Wyandotte males, prize 



lacing of these feathers, also the bright clearness of the out- 
side lacing of the hackle, back and saddle feathers. Note 
also the perfect evenness of the under-color of all these 
feathers. 

Feather No. 1 on this plate, a hackle feather, shows 
what I call a laced feather, something like that of the Polish. 
The inside center follows evenly on either side of the shaft 
and stops at the right place, that is, does not extend through 
the black lacing. This gives us a far more beautiful feather 
than the standard description (see Plate II) and every 
breeder of experience knows that he cannot produce the 
large, open centers on the females by using males of the 
style of neck hackle shown on Plate II. Laced Wyandottes, 
with Golden and Silver, have a tendency toward the laced 
neck, and to-day some strains produce a neck plumage 
nearer like Plate I than like Plate II. The Standard of 




Plate II— Showing Photographic Reproduction of Feathers Plucked from a 2-Year-Old Golden Wyandotte Cock. 



winners at the great New York show. The feathers demon- 
strate what has been produced in this variety on single spec- 
imens. They are not presented as perfect feathers, though 
some of them are practically so. They were reduced in size 
about two-fifths by the artist, and while the engravings of 
feathers are the best we have seen to date, they do not do 
the originals full justice. A lustrous, greenish black and a 
soft golden bay make a combination that is extremely diffi- 
cult to photograph, and still harder to represent in plain 
black and white. In these feather plates the gold centers 
and lacing do not show up as clear cut and even as in 
the originals, but they will do very well in illustrat- 
ing our meaning and in showing the progress that has 
been made. 

Plate I shows eleven feathers from a Golden Wyandotte 
cockerel. These feathers are pretty near our ideal, though 
not quite standard. Note the perfect striping and perfect 



Perfection should be changed in this section so as to allow 
for this center inside of the striping. A number of breeders 
have bred for this for several years. They know that they 
can not produce standard-laced females if they use the solid 
striping in neck and back of the male. 

Next let it be observed that the bird from which the 
feathers shown in Plate I were plucked was laced in all sec- 
tions. Feathers No. 2 were taken from the upper and lower 
breast. These are nearly perfect. The centers are not quite 
perfectly carried, with reference to the shape of the feathers, 
but such feathers the breeders call good. No. 3 is a wing 
covert that forms the wing bar. This feather is full laced. 
The Golden Wyandotte, ever since its origin, has had a ten- 
dency toward breeding these laced wing coverts, and rightly, 
for this is one of the main sections in controlling lacing. A 
spangled bar has the tendency to throw (that is, to breed) 
spangles, or spangling in the females. Note carefully the 



53 



T1IK WYAN1XV1TKS. 



i bar of the male presented on pa so ">-. Tho more 
even we oan havo tho feathers that form this bar. the better. 

Feather No, 4 is front the shoulder, ami is praotioally 
perfect Nos, 5, 6, 7 and S are back ami sadaio feathers. 
These may be pronounced perfect, according to our Btan- 
.'.. Tho camera has not brought out clearly the striping 
of these feathers. Tho stripes in Nos. i;, 7 ami S oml at the 
proper place, with the sola edging extending entirely around 
the stripe at the points of the foal hois, and tho inside tenter 
— what the standard calls a diamond— runs down in the 
striping to a noodle point, so tine the naked eye can Hardly 
soo it. and the same with the black striping. The engrav- 
ings oannot he expected to bring these fine lines out in their 
natural distinctness. 

I ask breeders of this variety to note particularly feather 
No. S. This is one of the last feathers of the side, what I 




• finyi emir"? NEviYoffn nfC 

BlIVWlB" .... 
IRA OKtUfR- 
TmSKKT o- 

GOLDEN WYANDOTTE PULLET "FASHION," A PRIZE-WINNER AT NEW YORK 

call a lower side hanger. Look your cockerels over to see 
how many feathers you can find like this one, showing equal 
striping. You will find large numbers with scarcely any 
striping on these lower feathers. Many breeders never 
think of this lower striping. I have called attention to it 
many times. Even most of our judges overlook it. These 
feathers, when striped, add great beauty to the bird, and 
belong to the saddle, which the standard requires to be 
striped. 

No. 9 shows a very pretty feather selected from the fluff. 
No. 10 is one of the bird's tail coverts. These tail coverts 
are usually black, but the reader will observe that this one 
is laced. Such feathers add beauty to the bird, and a male 
that carries well-laced tail coverts will transmit, to a degree, 
this lacing to the coverts of the female, an important sec- 
tion, while if the male's tail coverts are solid black you may 
expect very small centers, or none at all, on the female. 



As I said before. Plate I represents my ideal plum- 
age for a Golden Wyandotte male, both in lacing and as 
showing a breeding bird of the kind that will produce fe- 
males (either Golden or Silver) with open centers all over; 
also males with elegant striping and breasts well laced, hav- 
ing large centers. The standard of 1893 made a wonderful 
step forward when it called for a lighter colored Wyandotte, 
that is, a narrower laced one. The "black crows," as we 
would now call them, were once considered to be good, but 
the tendency toward open centers and lighter colored birds 
has been present ever since I first knew anything about the 
Goldens, or their Silver cousins. When it is the natural 
tendency of a breed or variety to become more beautiful, 
certainly the standard should be changed to accord with it. 
Plate II shows six feathers selected from a cock bird two 
years old. Note the evenness of the undercolor in all sec- 
tions. Feather No. 1 is from the neck. This 
feather is very evenly striped, but the strip- 
ing is carried too far down through the gol- 
den edging, otherwise it is perfect. No. 2 is 
taken from the saddle or back and is a per- 
fect feather. Observe the striping and the 
center of this feather. No. 3 is a shoulder 
covert, clear in color, not of a black or 
smoky color. No. 5 is taken from the center 
of the breast. This feather is not as good as 
it should be. The center is too straight and 
small, and is not true with respect to the 
shape of the feather. No. 6 is a wing covert, 
forming the bar. The lacing of the feather 
is not true enough and breaks over the shaft. 
No. 4 is selected from the fluff and is, in our 
estimation, a perfect feather. It adds much 
to the beauty of the fowl, and every breeder 
who knows his business wants the fluff and 
legs well laced. 

The Laced Wyandottes still have some 
faults as to fancy points, but the last five 
years have witnessed a greater improvement 
in them than was expected. The best breed- 
ers of them have made great progress. The 
old-time smuttiness of neck, hackle and sad- 
dle feathers is not now seen so often; they 
are much cleaner, in fact, one may now see 
many specimens at our shows with almost 
perfect necks. 

Golden males are now often seen whose 
breasts are laced from the throat down past 
the thighs, in fact, such birds are now com- 
paratively easy to produce. Very few now 
come with spangling on the lower breast, 
unless mated too light. 
The comb is to-day probably the most faulty section on 
Wyandottes, although there has been a rapid and marked 
improvement here. In your matings avoid a too large and 
too broad comb, and have the combs of males and females as 
even and shapely as possible. 

However, the male Wyandotte has been wonderfully 
improved, especially in shape, in gold .color and in lacings. 
We now see far fewer smutty necks, the right depth of gold 
color has been reached in both sexes, white in ear-lobes has 
almost entirely disappeared, and stubs on the shanks — 
which were very common in the variety's early history — 
are seldom seen now. 

It is astonishing what careful, systematic and intelli- 
gent breeding will accomplish in the course of ten years. 
Let those who can recollect the crude specimens of only 
thirteen years ago, place them, in the mind's eye, alongside 
of the best specimens of the breed as they exist to-day, and 



54 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



ponder on and take new courage from the wonderful con- 
trast. It is indeed a fascinating work. 

GOLDEN WYANDOTTE FEMALE. 

It is difficult for one to say which is the more beautiful, 
the male or female Golden Wyandotte, as both possess great 
beauty. Certainly one can find beauty enough in the female 
to satisfy the eye of the most ardent fancier. She has a 
shape differing from that of any other breed of fowl. 

Her head should be short, deep and medium broad, with 
bay eyes, red ear-lobes, wattles of medium length and a rose 
comb that is low, of medium width, curving with the s'hape 
of the head and terminating with a neat, small spike. The 
neck should be broad and full, of medium length and well 
arched. The back should be short with a gentle rise and 
cushion. We like to see the breast quite full, broad, deep, 



is very attractive to the eye, with her large, open, golden 
bay centers, laced with rich greenish-black. The lacing 
varies greatly, and a person often sees breeders who use 
birds with the small centers, the feathers on the back only 
shafted or striped with bay, showing no lacing at all. The 
breeder who has persevered in breeding for open centers has 
been well paid. It is nature, for ever since I have known the 
laced Wyandotte I have found that its tendency is to breed 
to larger centers. 

There was a "dark-bird" fad some years ago, and most 
people wanted dark Wyandottes. As a result a great injury 
was done to the breed. This affected the Silvers more than 
it did the Goldens. Some people still want them dark. One 
of our old judges claims that the dark birds are the best. 

The trouble lies here: Some six years ago the standard 
first called for a lighter Wyandotte and it has now become a 






Plate III — Showing Seven Excellent Feathers Plucked from a Grand Golden Wyandotte Hen. 



well-rounded, and the keel bone carried well down between 
the legs. Thighs should be short, stout and well meaced. 
Body and fluff well developed. Tail, short, well spread like 
the letter V and carried a little upward. 

Here we have an almost ideal fowl in shape, for utility 
as well as for beauty. The Golden Wyandotte has been 
known to lay as many as 200 eggs in a year, and this from a 
breed that carries a weight of from six to eight pounds for 
the female, and eight to ten for the male, with a quantity 
of flesh that but few breeds equal, fairly entitles them to 
rank high as a general purpose fowl. The pullets develop 
quickly and begin to lay at an early age. 
Plumage of Female. 

She has a style of plumage that is hard to produce in 
correct color and markings, like that of several other parti- 
colored fowls. The standard Golden hen or pullet of to-day 



general demand. Some of the breeders were slow to "catch 
on" and got left. To change a breed or variety, from dark 
to light in lacing, can not be done in a year or two. The 
breeders who have always been breeding for medium cen- 
ters, and have, of late years, increased or enlarged them, 
have reaped a rich harvest. 

Every loving fancier of the Wyandotte prefers the open 
lacing, as shown on the hen Fashion, presented on page 54. 
(See also her feathers in Plate III.) This hen had no moss- 
ing and was full laced all over. Mr. Sewell's sketch of her 
is quite good. Her shape was not the best. Her tail should 
be carried a little higher, her cushion should be more abund- 
ant, and the breast should be more full. Her comb is 
straight, where it should curve with shape of head. Other- 
wise I like her. 

The plumage of this grand hen is shown in Plate III. 



55 




3 



o 

I 



2 

*o 

O 

*o 

i) 

O 

•3 
U 



a. 



a 
o 

ti 
u 

c 



S 

o 



13 

o 

3 



: b 

a 

o 
"3 






THE WYANDOTTES. 



These feathers were plucked when she was two years old. 
The engraver has reduced the size of the feathers about one- 
third. 

Feather No. 1 is a hackle, nearly perfect. No. 2 is taken 
from the breast and is good enough. Nos. 3 and 4 are from 
the wing. These are excellent, though at the end of feather 
No. 4 you will note it does not carry the shape of the center 
as well as does No. 3, it is a little too pointed. No. 5 is a 
back feather taken from between the shoulders. This is 
good. No. 6 is a cushion feather. In lacing, shape of feather 
and center I call No. 6 perfect. No. 7 is a cushion or lesser 
tail covert. Note how perfect this center is. It may be 
seen that this center is perfectly clear. Also note the deep, 
uniform under-color shown in all these sections. 

. The lacing of this hen is carried well back in the fluff 
and the greater part of the fluff is laced, a valuable point in 
a breeder. A hen with so uniformly good plumage is not 
often seen. Pullets are now often produced with this uni- 
form and open lacing, but comparatively few of them molt 
in as clear laced hens. They usually come out of the molt 
with clear breasts and wings, but seldom with a clear back 
and cushion. If clear in cushion the breast lacing has prob- 
ably run out. 

We next take up Plate IV. Here we have ten feathers 
selected from a pullet with very narrow lacing. All these 
feathers are from the one bird. Of course they are not all 
perfect. The size of these has also been reduced about one- 
third or a little more. The reader will notice that the width 
of these lacings is quite uniform in all sections, and I know 
you will agree with me that this looks much better than 
would be the case were the centers only one-half as large. 
Feather No. 1 is a neck hackle. It is very good, but has the 
inside center, like that described in the male, page 53. Here 
is what I like, and I know from experience that this kind of 
lower hackle feathers are extremely necessary to produce 
pullets with plumage like that shown in Plate IV. I 
should like the standard to allow these inside centers. They 
may be either large or small, just so the outside black stripe 
is sharp, clean cut and black, and the golden edging is clear 
as in the plate, where you will note the stripe ends at the 
proper place. There is no outside gold edging on this pullet. 

Feather No. 2 is a lower breast feather, and No. 3 an 
upper breast feather, near the throat. No. 3 is perfect, while 
in No. 2 the center is a little more on one side of shaft than 
on the other. Nos. 5, 6 and 7 are from the wings. These are 
perfect, or what we would call such. The color of the lacing 
is an intense greenish-black, with no edging, no mossing. 
No. 7 is from the fore part of the wing, No. 5 is from the 
center, and No. 6 is from the second row that forms the two 
bars. With centers of this size or larger, one will find that 
each center on the bird shows to splendid advantage, and 
the two rows of bars will be distinctly seen. With this size 
centers one sees about three-fifths of gold or white, and two- 
fifths of black. 

No. 8 is taken from the back, between the shoulders, and 
is a good one, still it is not quite perfect. No. 9 is a real 
gem. How could it be better? Here is a good feather to 
carry in one's eye. It is really a "gold standard." No. 10 is 
a tail covert, and very good, still the center at the end 
should be carried farther down and conform with the shape 
of the end of the feather. 

In this female we have the happy medium, each section 
the same in depth of lacing, which makes the bird look uni- 
form in all sections. Here we have a Wyandotte of surpass- 
ing beauty. Put this plumage on a fairly perfect form and 
you have a bird that will win in very fast company, one that 
is worthy of the name, the Beauty Breed. 

I wish to speak here of lacing more particularly than of 
the shape. I hope some day to be able to produce these cen- 



ters with the ends broader, more like our best Sebrights. 
The centers are now too sharp in both the Golden and Silver 
Wyandottes. We have these broad centers in the Buff Laced 
Wyandottes. 

Note again Feather No. 2 in Plate IV. If the sharp 
point to this feather were not there and the outside lacing 
were not so heavy at the end, but were as narrow as the 
side lacing, would it not be pretty? These large, round-end 
centers can be produced. We know one Silver Wyandotte 
breeder who has accomplished it, and the lacings on the 
wings does not overlap so much, but looks more like rings. 
While our best show pullets look like perfect birds, indeed 
they are not yet near perfect. There is still a vast amount 
of room for improvement. 

How I wish they bred as true as the Sebrights! Think 
of the Wyandotte being scored at present as high as the best 
Sebrights! They are all scored too high. I do not believe 
there is a Sebright in America that will honestly score over 
95 points. 

The greatest fault of the laced Wyandotte is the mossing 
of the centers. This is very hard to work out. A pullet may be 
free from mossing her first year, but when she is two years 
old she may not have a clear center on her. But not many 
do as poorly as this. They usually molt in with at least a 
clear breast and clear wings. It is slow work breeding this 
defect out, but time will work wonders. 

The hens that show the clearest centers should always 
be kept as breeders. Spangling has disappeared fast, combs 
have been greatly improved, and so has the shape of the 
female. The type does not now vary so much. Especially 
in the Goldens this short, blocky shape was seldom seen a 
few years ago. The Golden formerly was longer in body, 
had more length of leg, and was a larger and coarser fowl 
than the Silver, but to-day one sees Goldens with the true 
Wyandotte shape, and we see a great many more of them 
each year. 

MATING COLDER WYANDOTTES. 

The art of breeding is a great study and an intensely 
interesting one. While one gains much from experience — 
which is really the best teacher— still the amateur gets 
many points from reading that it would take him years to 
learn from experience, though perhaps the teachings of the 
latter are less easily forgotten. I may say that what I know 
about Golden Wyandottes I have learned chiefly from expe- 
rience; but I realize that could some one have told me 
twelve years ago exactly how to mate, I should have made 

« 

a great deal more money. I am in the poultry business, like 
most others, for what I get out of it, and I find it as profita- 
ble as many other lines of business. Fancy poultry can be 
made to pay, and pay well, and I know of no better paying 
varities than the Wyandottes. Like other breeds, they must 
be well mated to produce best results, and no good birds 
need be expected from poor matings. Stock that has been 
well mated and bred in line for a number of years, though 
not of the highest grade, will, if properly mated, produce a 
good per cent of very fancy birds. Blood will tell, and will 
show its good qualities as well as bad. On the other hand, 
an excellent mating of carelessly bred stock can not be 
depended on to reproduce itself. Too many persons in the 
poultry business think they must introduce new blood from 
a different strain each year, and so go backward instead of 
forward, because nearly every breeder's birds differ some in 
type and plumage. When these different types are crossed 
some of the offspring resemble the male, some the female, 
and some resemble neither. Then such breeders generally 
get a male from another type to mate with the pullets of the 
several types, and the next season they have nothing good, 
scarcely any two chicks resembling each other. This is my 



57 



PllK WYANOOTTKS. 



If you .cot what you want from a reliable breeder 
who has a well established strain, and who breeds large 
numbers, buy your new blood of him. He probably under- 
ede breeding much better than you ana be does not 
inbreed enough to injure his stock. If he is honest be will 
not furnish you stock that is too closely related. I would 
not give a cent for » specimen tor breeding inn-poses, no 
matter how tine it is. if it bad not been inbred, for it will 
seldom reproduce itself. Inbreeding is a great factor in the 
oss of the fancier of poultry, horses, cattle, hogs or 
sheep. The height of perfection can not be reached without 
inbreeding. The type of inbred stock will be easily seen in 



most of the Golden Wyandotte breeders do not understand 
what golden bay means. Some think it is a light shade of 
gold, others think it a chestnut or red. It is a color hard to 
describe. If you should take an eighteen karat gold and mix 
red with it, you could get the Color, though of course it 
would all depend on how much red you added. Golden bay, 
as I understand it, is a dark rich gold, but not bay. We see 
bay in its perfection in the horse family. Most of the Golden 
Wyandottes that judges usually call prime in color are too 
dark a gold or bay, or too red. And here I might say that if 
judges paid enough attention to color in this breed they 
would not score so high. I have often noticed them scoring. 




-_ OHIO BOY 15* ^America* 
"* FJRST PRIZES AT 01)Cfl&<? 159? - 
PlflST PRIZES /ITNEWYORK.I899" 

BRED *\ND owned By 

IRA GKELL&fV- 

PROSPECT, OHIO- 



PRIZE- WINNING GOLDEN WYANDOTTES. 



First Cock at Chicago and New York, 1899. First Pullet at New York, 1898 and First Hen at Chicago, 1899. 



its get. If you see a nice flock of birds that closely resemble 
each other, ask the breeder if he inbreeds, and he will tell 
you that he does. I do not advocate inbreeding Golden 
Wyadottes closer than, say, first cousins. Some breeds will 
stand more and closer inbreeding than others, but never, if 
possible to avoid it, breed a male and female that have the 
same faults. 

Color. 

There are many points in breeding Golden Wyandottes 
to be considered. First, I will speak of color. I find that 



There will be, for instance, a row of ten cockerels the sad- 
dles of which are clear and well striped, but each of a differ- 
ent shade of gold. Seldom will one be cut for color, while 
usually there is but one in the class that should be pro- 
nounced perfect in the color of that section. 

To Produce Proper Color and Markings. 

If your females are too red or bay, you should use a 

male that has a light, even, rich gold color. This will 

lighten the color in the offspring. But never try to produce 

the desired change of color in one season, for you can not 



58 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



establish a medium color from two extremes in one cross. 
The deep red or chestnut color of the breed is more deeply- 
seated in the male than in the female. And these deep col- 
ors are necessary to keep up a good golden bay. 

If the males are too red, select those females that have 
the light, mellow gold color and a golden bay male, or if you 
have not such use a male of the red color. This will produce 
pullets approaching near the golden bay. Mate these pullets 
to a deep, rich, golden bay male and you should get the 
proper shade of color in a few specimens at least. 

In breeding for open centers of cushion you will lose the 
depth of breast lacing of the female. To produce these 
large centers select your females that have them and select 
a male that has a strong, well-laced breast with 
not too large centers, with the plumage in neck, 
back, wing and saddle like that shown in cock- 
erel plumage in Plate No. I. Such a mating 
should produce a fair per cent of pullets with 
good sized centers all over, and nice, very open- 
laced cockerels. In producing a good, strongly 
laced male use cockerels from above mating on 
fairly heavily laced females. If the females are 
too open, so as to grow quite weak in breast, 
use a male that is quite as strongly marked as 
plumage of cock in Plate No. II. Some of the 
pullets will be quite well laced all over of a 
rather heavy nature. These, if mated to a male 
with plumage like that of cockerel in Plate No. 
I, will produce some pullets up to the standard 
requirements in lacing, and from this mating 
you will get a good per cent of standard marked 
cockerels. 

To produce pullets with clear, open centers 
all over, a fair per cent of which will not molt 
into clear-centered hens, use a male with plum- 
age in each section like cockerel plumage in 
Plate No. I, and keep it up year after year and 
you will accomplish it. Remember by breeding 
Wyandottes heavily laced you do not get clear- 
centered hens. You must breed open-centered 
pullets to molt into clear-laced hens. You have 
many sections to look after and improve in both 
male and female. If you have a bird that has 
one or two sections quite perfect and is fairly 
good in other sections, use it, and you will 
stamp your stock. It is best to always select 
the males for breeding that have the best aver- 
age plumage, color, shape and comb. Then niate 
to females of the proper width of lacing. One, 
to be successful with the breed, should be pre- 
pared to make many matings, for if you have 
ten females you wish to mate with a male, it is 
not likely that over two to four will mate with 
him well. You would better only mate one or 
two properly than the whole ten improperly. 
You will have much better birds at the end of the season. 
If they are not well mated you can not get very many good 
chicks. It is hard to get of any fancy breed a dozen females 
to match a male exactly. Some think small matings are 
very expensive, but I assure you, if mated right they pay. 

I should advise breeders to pay more attention to thigh 
and leg lacing. Have them well laced, as they are one of 
the most beautiful sections. Breed for them. I like to see 
the lacing commence at the throat and run past the thighs 
without a break. We have produced lacing on a male's legs 
every center of which was nearly a quarter of an inch wide, 
and fluff or thigh lacing seven-eighths of an inch wide. On 
females we have had it half an inch wide. 

Bear in mind that the richer the gold of the shafts of 



both male and female, the better and prettier will be the 
dark slate under-color, which may be mixed with gold or 
buff. This is another very important point in breeding. 

Look after the wing bar of the male to see whether it is 
well laced. It should be, for it plays a very important part 
in the lacing of the female. If the secondaries of both male 
and female are well laced, so much the better. Produce all 
the fluff lacing you can on both sexes, just so the lacing is 
black. A laced fluff is much prettier than one powdered with 
gold and black. We produce many specimens in which 
nearly every feather of the thighs is laced clear down to the 
shanks. Look at the tail filling, I call it, the feathers that 
fill in between the tail behind. If these be laced, so much 
the better. The more the short tail coverts of the male are 




FIRST PRIZE GOLDEN WYANDOTTE COCK, NEW YORK, 1898. 

This Golden I,aced Wyandotte Cock, bred and owned by Jesse A. Moon, of New- 
London, Conn., was winner of first and Gold Special in his class at the 1898 New York 
show. 



laced the better, especially the lower ones, for these play an 
important part in producing the large open tail coverts of 
the pullets. Try to produce all the plumage of the breed 
laced, except the male tail feathers, the sickles, hangers, and 
the fluffy portion of the rear part of the fowl. This lacing 
can be produced as I have said and shown. It is not theory, 
as we have accomplished it. We have produced lacing of the 
fluff of both sexes in goodly numbers to almost the size of 
the breast lacing. I may say here that I have devoted almost 
my entire time for over thirteen years to this fowl and I 
have accomplished a great deal in the way of improvements 
in all sections. Breeding will accomplish wonders. It is my 
aim to help others to produce better Wyandottes and more 
of them, to create more breeders and to bring the different 
types closer together. I wish to say here again that by pro- 
ducing a bird with lacing in all sections we will have a fowl 
approached by none in beauty. IRA C. KELLER. 



59 



THE BEAUTY BREED. 



The Qualities that Should be Found in Line-bred Stock to Produce Exhibition Specimens. 



ux FRED r.. MASON, PABIUS, N. Y., SUCCESSOR TO H. D. MASON & SONS. 




ORTl'NATELY. while the breeding of high- 
class exhibition Golden Wyandott.es is a sci- 
ence that requires thought and study, at the 
same time it is both pleasant and profitable. 
As a variety they have been before the public 
for about twelve years and are fast gaining in popular- 
ity. The American fancy has had the extreme dark and 
also has been threatened with the extreme light or Sebright 
Golden Wyandottes, but has settled down to a medium col- 
ored Golden Wyandotte, as now described in the American 
Standard of Perfection. We have bred the Golden Wyan- 
dottes as a specialty since their first introduction, and have 
found them to be great layers and grand for table use, 
besides being the most handsome fowl in existence. 

We are strong advocates of line breeding and have prac- 
ticed the same for many years. We produce both males and 
females from the same mating and believe it to be the only 
correct way to establish a reliable strain. In selecting your 
breeding stock, first consider the qualities that should be 
found in all Wyandottes, namely: good Wyandotte shape, 
yellow legs, good size, bay eyes, and a good comb. Form an 
opinion as to the relative values of the qualities found in 
your Golden Wyandottes and seek each year to breed out 
the most serious defect with as many of the remaining 
defects as possible. You may think it advisable to sacrifice 
a little in comb, or size, cr perhaps a little in shape in a few 
specimens, in order to stamp in your stock something fine 
in feather markings, which the others do not possess. If 
your stock reaches standard weight at maturity without the 
aid of surplus fat, be content and do not seek to add to their 
size, as it will rob them to a great extent of two of the most 
important qualities that should characterize the Wyandotte, 
namely, egg production and early maturity. If your stock is 
undersized and you wish to retain them on account of fine 
feather markings, do not try to remedy the defect in size in 
one season by procuring an extra large male, but try to 
accomplish the desired end in two or three matings. 

In females choose those that are as near to standard 
requirements as possible. Aim to have the golden center in 
each feather from one-half to two-thirds of the width of 
f-ach feather, and also to conform to the shape of the web of 
the feather. The widest centered feathers should be found 
on the breast, and gradually decrease in width as they 
approach the tail. Strive to have the lacing on the end of 
each feather no wider than on the side. In selecting your 
male see that he is not defective in body under-color. 
Remember the wing bar and have it well laced, as it plays 
an important part in the production of fine pullets. Have 
the centers of the feathers that form the wing bar or wing 
' rts of a deep bay color with a lacing of glossy black. In 
the saddle feathers have the inside center of each feather of 
a deep golden bay, laced with black, the whole to be fringed 
with golden bay. In the hackle we prefer a golden shaft 
dividing the black center in equal parts, the same to be 
fringed with golden bay. The center of each feather in a 

60 



male's breast should not be over two-thirds of its width, and 
even a little less than one-half of the width of the feather if 
you are troubled to confine the golden centers in the female's 
breast. Strive to have each feather from throat to thighs 
with a golden bay center, the same to be laced with lustrous 
black and sharply defined. We prefer tail-coverts with rich 
golden bay centers of about one-half their width, also gol- 
den shafts to the sickle feathers, and a golden bay center in 
thigh feathers of not more than one-half their width. 

If you wish to deepen the color of the centers in the 
females, use a male that has deeper color, as he has greater 
power to transmit color than the female. It has been our 
experience that the deeper the color of the centers the easier 
it is to hold the lacing. Do not use a bird with white in the 
tail, as that is a defect that should have long ago disap- 
peared. And if a bird shows white in wings, do not use him 
unless he be excellent in most sections, and poor in none. 
Learn to discriminate between natural white and white 
caused by accident or injury. A large percentage of the 
white found in wings is caused by an injury to the feathers 
in their early growth, and especially is this so of the white 
occasionally found on the wing tips. 

He who thinks of breeding fancy fowls, either for pleas- 
ure or profit, or both, will make no mistake in selecting the 
Golden Wyandottes. Try to obtain stock from a breeder 
who has a good reputation, one whose birds have many gen- 
erations of ancestors of the same blood line to hold and 
transmit the qualities that they possess. Remember that the 
degree of excellence that the line bred Golden Wyandotte 
may attain is largely due to feed and care. If you do not 
feel able to start with fowls, you can buy eggs and soon have 
a flock of fowls that will be greatly admired by your friends 
and- neighbors, and cause you to be a life-long friend and 
champion of the "Beauty Breed." 

FRED G. MASON. 

[Note — Mr. Mason is a strong believer in medium cen- 
ters on both males and females, and his stock shows that he 
produces this type of bird in both sexes to a marked degree. 
He has had the best training along these lines from his 
father, the late Mr. H. D. Mason, who, during his life, was 
one of the best posted Golden Wyandotte breeders in Amer- 
ica. Mr. Mason advocates safe ground for an amateur to 
follow, and even the old heads, who speculate too far on 
extremes in color, are only too glad to get this conservative 
blood to put them back in line. Golden Wyandotte breeders 
have some advantages over breeders of the Silver variety, as 
the golden color is not so much affected by the sun. The 
Golden Wyandotte breeder has advantage also in that he can 
produce good males and females from the same yard. Mr. 
H. D. Mason showed the writer cockerels and pullets that 
were full brothers and sisters and they all possessed the cor- 
rect shape and color markings to qualify them for show 
birds. The strong points of the parents were equally repre- 
sented in both males and females. The same mingling of 
color in the Silver variety would show cockerels not so well 
marked as the Goldens, while the pullets would be stronger. 
We call the reader's attention to this, as each breed or vari- 
ety has its own peculiarities in mating and there is much to 
be learned.— Editor.] 



THE WHITE WYANDOTTES. 




BREED of fowls of recent origin stands as high 
in the commercial world as does the White Wy- 
andotte. Its reputation is not restricted to 
America, but wherever this fowl has been bred 
1 to any extent, it is recognized as the middle 
weight fowl par excellence for table use. To this quality is 
added their remarkable egg-producing ability. Under 
special circumstances a pen of this breed has yielded 210 
eggs per bird in one year. 

Aside from their commercial value they are the fancy 
fowl which has a greater number of admirers than any other 
solid colored variety in the American standard. Their 
handsome white plumage, fine symmetrical outlines, well- 
developed breasts and thighs, low rose combs and blocky 
build develop the amateur who breeds them into a fancier. 
They attract a great many from the outside world to our 
ever-growing army of poultry enthusiasts. This breed of 
fowls will in time be recognized as the Plymouth Rock's 
greatest rival in every section of the country. The Ameri- 
can fancier may well feel proud that its origin is strictly 

American . 

White Wyandotte Shape. 

The shape of this variety is the same as that outlined in 
charts 1 and 2. As you will remember, the female used as a 
model for chart No. 2 was in reality a White Wyandotte, a 
winner in the Boston show of 1898. By referring to the 
chart and the description of the same in the discussion of 
the silver variety, you will get all the information that is 
necessary along this line, and I am sure anyone who reads 
understandingly will be able to make a better selection of 
his breeding stock. 

In many parts of the country there will be found birds 
of this variety that look shorter on their legs than the 
standard requires and they are often cut by the judges for 
this apparent defect. If you have a specimen of this kind 
in your yard, make a careful measurement of this section. 
You will find as a rule, that your eye has misled you. I 
have found that White Wyandottes, especially the females, 
have longer plumage around the thighs and fluff than the 
other varieties of Wyandottes have and for this reason the 
birds look a trifle squatty or short on their legs. These ap- 
parently short-legged birds have as a rule, short backs and 
deep breasts, and are, in fact, the very birds you want to 
breed. Do not understand me as favoring a duck leg on a 
Wyandotte. I want the shank long enough to meet the 
requirements of the standard as illustrated in the chart, but 
I caution you to look carefully for the long plumage and see 
if the bird is in reality as short legged as it appears. 

In this variety as well as the other varieties of the Wy- 
andotte, look well to the shape of the back, for without a 
good back you can absolutely make no progress toward per- 
fecting a strain. If the back is good you invariably get other 
good points which go a long way toward making an ideal 

fowl. 

Color of White Wyandottes. 

The new standard is very severe on the color question 
and breeders of this variety will have to be very careful in 
the selection of breeding stock if they expect to pass muster 
in the show room. Any flecking on a feather will be con- 
sidered a serious defect, and if shown on more than one 
feather it disqualifies the specimen. Breeders are spending 

6 



lots of thought trying to discover how to breed "stay white" 
birds. Some are trying different kinds of food, others keep 
the birds in the shade and still others advocate sunshine. 
The fact of the matter is, if you have the color in the blood 
it is going to crop out sometime, and the only way I know 
to get rid of it is to breed it out. A breeder with a lot of 
work and patience can get any bird in show color — so can 
any woman change the color of her hair, but it is only an 
artificial color and it will fade. What we want in a white 
fowl is absolutely white plumage, not yellow or cream, but 
pure white. It is true that we have only started on color 
breeding and the faker who has learned the art of changing 
colors has a big advantage over the honest man who has 
only nature to help him, but the latter will win in the long 
run and he will be honored as the trickster can never hope 
to be. 

To successfully breed any of the white varieties and 
place them on exhibition free from sunburn or yellowish 
east, is a big undertaking. We find just such specimens 
every winter at our western shows and they are bred that 
way and have not been artificially bleached into show con- 
dition. The per cent of these pure white birds is small, we 
admit, but there are enough of them to show what can be 
done and to furnish material with which to work. Breed- 
ers should feel encouraged and should strive still harder. In 
the west we do not know when to get a bird's record or 
when to keep it out of the show room. There is more or 
less yellow in the new feathers of our very whitest birds. 
This yellow will show for a time, or in fact, as long as the 
quill is used to furnish the matter to make the feather. This 
is what we term the immature life of the feather and the 
specimen is not in shape to show when its plumage is in this 
condition. If a specimen is white before molting, it will be 
white after the molt. All you have to do is to give them 
time to "color down" as we put it. Sunburn or copper color 
is a serious defect in a White Wyandotte and in my judg- 
ment should be discounted as severely as the black flecking. 

To have a few feathers come with a slight tracing of 
black or dead color in the back, neck and wings, is a great 
disappointment. Still if we will stop to think a minute, we 
could not expect anything else. The White Wyandotte came 
from the Silver cross and they certainly have a certain 
amount of black blood in them which must come to the sur- 
face once in a while, but the yellow cast is not inherited 
from their ancestors and we can surely get rid of it by judic- 
ious mating. This sunburn appears more prominently in 
the male and is found on the neck, back and shoulders prin- 
cipally. It is easy to understand why it should appear on 
the neck and back, but why it should crop out on the wings 
is something of a puzzle. The hackle and saddle being com- 
posed of long feathers, it is hard for nature to supply oil 
enough to protect the outside from the severe heat of the 
sun, but the shoulders are composed of short feathers and 
nature should be able to keep them white. In scoring for 
this defect, the cuts run from one-half to one and one-half 
in all sections. Should there be a trace of flecking, the cut 
will be from one-half to one point more in each section. 
Should the neck be good on the surface but show a yellow 
tint underneath, the cut would be one-half point. If the 
wings are good on the surface, but show yellow quills in the 
secondaries and flight feathers, the cut is one-half to one, 










..it*.- -/ ■»— A> ' «s- 9j=- 

RtUflBLf 'POULTRY-JOURNAL ' 
COPYRIGHT -; 

WHITE WYANDOTTES. 

By SEWELL, NOVEMBER, 1899. 
Characteristics, shape and standard requirements are substantially the same as those given for the Silvers except that the color of this 

variety is pure white. See color-plate frontispiece. 



62 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



according to the degree. If a bird shows off-color in any 
section, such as grease or paint or any foreign substance, 
the cut is one point, and the cut should be made in the con- 
dition column and the sections affected should be designated 
with a check mark on the card. 

Feeding for Color. 

Feeding to produce a pure white color has been a serious 
study with some fanciers, and some have proved that it has 
an effect in particular cases. Considering my own experi- 
ence, I say look to nature for your remedy and study nature 
for the cause and effect. It is reasonable to suppose that a 
part of the diet of a fowl goes to form the coloring matter 
of its plumage and we have learned that it is a fact that 
some foods contain much more of this coloring matter than 
others. After a feather is grown you can do nothing to 
change it, that is, it is a finished production and feeding any 
particular diet cannot change it. But there was a time in 
the history of the feather when you could have helped na- 
ture to add a different shade to it. That was the time when 
the feather was growing and its quill was full of sap. If at 
that time we had fed for color, being careful not to allow 
our fowls anything but the whitest kinds of "food, we could 
undoubtedly have helped to make the plumage white, but 
after the feathers are matured it is too late to remedy the 
fault, unless we want to pluck the fowl and try it over. If 
you wish to help the color of your fowls it must be in the 
molting season, as that is the time and the only time when 
food can affect the plumage. 

White Wyandotte Females. 

What has already been said in regard to the defects in 
the shape of the Silver and Golden Wyandotte females may 
properly be applied to the White, Buff and Black varieties. 
This is true also of the color of the eyes and earlobes, so I 
will not tire you by repeating it. In discussing the white 
variety, I shall mention a few of the defects found in the 
plumage, and shall warn the amateur not to believe his best 
specimen is pure white until he has carefully examined 
every section on her for off-colored feathers. I was in a 



yard of White Wyandottes a few months ago and was told 
by the owner that he had a flock that he could guarantee 
were pure white in every section. I asked him if he meant 
that they were absolutely white without any coloring of any 
kind. He said they were and that he would give me every 
bird that he could find with any sign of black or brown in it. 
"My friend," I said, "you may just as well ship all of them to 
me, for you have not a bird on your place that is absolutely 
free from ticking in all sections." He became indignant 
and asked me if I thought he was a fraud. "No," I said, "you 
are not a fraud, but you do not know as much about White 
Wyandottes as you think you do." He began to catch the 
birds and run them over carelessly, claiming that they were 
pure white, but when I began to show him where to look for 
the off-feathers, he soon learned that he did not have a sin- 
gle bird that was absolutely white. The White Wyandottes 
came from sports of the Silver and there is black blood in 
them, so that it is just as natural for them to throw a few 
feathers ticked with black as it is for them to grow. It is 
not an impurity, it is the natural outcropping of that black 
blood and it will be years before it entirely disappears. 

I think the present standard is entirely too severe on 
this variety, and a close application of it will lead to faking 
and feather pulling on the part of exhibitors. I am sure the 
judges do the breed an injustice by disqualifying for the 
trace of flecking so often found in their plumage. If the 
specimen shows unmistakable signs of foreign color, then 
debar the bird, but where faint traces of flecking appear, 
discount them from one-half to one and one-half, according 
to the degree. The plumage throughout, including the 
quills, should be pure white and when yellow or straw color 
appears, the cut is from one-half to one and one-half. This 
cut refers to every section of the bird, but the discoloration 
most often appears in the neck, back, wings and tail. 

The legs and toes are the same as the Silvers and the 
discount is the same, but there is a defect in the color of legs 
not so often met in the Silvers. I refer to the pale or white 
shanks. The shanks should be yellow and when they are 
pale or light colored the cut is from one-half to two, accord- 
ing to the degree. THEO. HEWES. 




63 



STANDARD-BRED WHITE WYANDOTTES. 



r /ie "Best Breed for Broilers-," .itid ;i Keen Rival for Highest Honors as the Best General Purpose Fowl— Points on Breeding 

this Beautiful and Useful Variety to Standard Requirements. 



uv aktiuk G. nrsTox, BREEDER] m.\ri,uoro, mass. 




KK.M1T me to sot forth in a plain way some 

A?^J thoughts in regard to the mating and breeding 
Of the noble White Wyandotte that may be of 
value to the loaders of this book. The White 
Wyandottes are true sports or albinos of the 
Silvers, and were brought out by a number of breeders at 
about the same time. They were admitted to the standard 
in 1SSS and for some years enjoyed considerable popularity, 
but later they hardly held their own. I know when I first 
began to breed them they were a very small class in our 
shows. Often the entry of one breeder formed the whole 
exhibit. It must have been much easier to win then! 

In 1894. after trying several of the more popular breeds, 
I at length decided to handle but one variety of one breed, 
and do my best with that one. Finding that the White Wy- 
andotte made the best broiler and roaster; that it is of quick 
growth, standing heavy feed and forcing; that it is an early 
and prolific layer, docile and exceedingly beautiful withal; 
in fact, that in my hands it proved to be the best all-round 
bird of the five kinds I tried, I discarded the others and 
became a specialist. I have faithfully advertised them and 
when occasion offered have written about them (as have 
others) until to-day the White Wyandotte is one of the most 
popular varieties of standard-bred fowls. Now it is often 
the largest instead of the smallest class in our shows. They 
have only to be tried to make friends. 

In writing of mating it will not be out of place to give a 
short description of the two birds shown in the frontispiece 
as being somewhat ideal. The cock is a "stay white"' bird 
and so is the hen. Both have fine heads, rather stout, with 
a low comb of nice shape which, when chicks, were well- 
pebbled. Their backs are short, rising to the tail, which 
should always be short and fairly well spread. The body is 
deep with a full breast and considerable fluff, and it is set on 
a pair of stout, yellow legs. Such birds are active and will 
reproduce themselves in a good percentage of the chicks. 

Now a few words in regard to the breeding pen. If we 
could start with a pen of ideal birds it would be quite a sim- 
ple matter to breed winners, provided, of course, that their 
parentage was up to standard and the blood of the males and 
of the females was not antagonistic, >>ut "nicked," as we say. 
But we have two, three or ten females with Wyandotte 
shape and only a difference in the carrying of the tail or 
head, or one's comb is a trifle hollow, or some one of a hun- 
dred minor differences is apparent in each bird. Hence we 
must watch carefully what males we put with these females. 
It would be difficult for anyone to tell exactly how he puts 
up two birds, and he cannot always tell why. 

I think cne of the first considerations is the breast. Try 
to get a male standing "wide apart" with a generous fullness 
in breast. Never put a hollow-chested male (which is a bad 
fault) with females having the same defect. We want the 
bent combs we can get, but never discard a choice breeder on 
ount of the comb unless the defect amounts to a disquali- 
fication. The eye should be bay and the plumage white. 



While we are commenting on the plumage, it might be well 
to state that as the white variety is yet so near to the Silver 
Wyandotte, it is no wonder that we get some gray in the 
plumage. I have seen breeders who claim that their stock 
never has any. If that be so, their birds must get it by in- 
fection very soon after leaving their owners' yards. We all 
get it and there is no use in saying we' do not. We are all 
trying to get away from it. So if you get a bird with some 
gray in him, do not call the breeder a fraud. 

If the female is inclined to carry her tail too high, try 
to overcome it in the progeny by using a male carrying a 
low tail, which has as much width or fullness as possible. 
Never use a male with greenish legs or with green flecks 
under the scales, because from such a breeder come the 
green-legged birds. I always soup them. 

We are all trying for greater weight and I fear we shall 
overreach ourselves. Calls come for nine-pound cockerels. 
Don't do it! Try to add a little to your weights each year. 
If you put such large males with undersized females you will 
lose the shape and compactness so essentially Wyandotte. 
The best birds I ever raised or saw as regards shape, were 
those that were nearest standard weight. They are the neat, 
catchy fellows and they will cover all the claims we make 
for the Wyandottes. If we keep trying as the demand seems 
to be to add a pound or two over standard weight, will we 
not lose the early maturing qualities in a great measure? 

We want a rich yellow leg, and it is almost entirely due 
to the run the birds have. If free range on a green grass is 
given them, not one per cent will fail to have as richly col- 
ored legs as you want. 

I have tried to mention a few of the first principles of 
mating, telling something about what we want. Bear in 
mind to seek to weaken any defect in the female breeders as 
far as possible by having the same section especially strong 
in the male, and vice-versa. This rule and a close study of 
my birds have given me what success I have attained in 
breeding White Wyandottes. 

After you have your pen carefully selected and put to- 
gether, you will be filled with manifold doubts and misgiv- 
ings, but if you have given to the work the thought and time 
necessary, you should have faith enough to wait and see the 
chicks matured before you are discouraged. It is seldom I 
would advise making any change in a pen during the breed- 
ing season, especially on the recommendation of an outsider 
against what has been your best judgment. If the birds 
"nick" you win; if they do not, you lose. We have staked 
a season's get that we shall win choice specimens from our 
mating. But it is true that two of a family of children 
hardly ever look alike. Why, then, should we expect all the 
get of a pen of beautiful birds to be as good as the parent 
stock? I firmly believe that it is possible for ninety per 
cent to come so if we are only judicious in our breeding and 
make careful records of all matings. I am a convert to this 
plan, and I propose to test it thoroughly. 

Your chicks should be culled as closely as possible by 



64 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



the time they are eight weeks old, so as to give the others 
all the room you have, even if you have a hundred acres. 
Your coop room is growing rapidly less as they mature. 

You must expect to get culls. Some hatches will be bet- 
ter than others from the same pen. Is this to be wondered 
at when one considers the indifference with which this vari- 
ety has been bred for some years past? A prominent breeder 
told me that he got a much greater per cent of culls from his 
White Wyandottes than from his Barred Plymouth Rocks. 
We are going to overcome this in a few years by selection 
and methodical breeding. 

Regarding the importance of keeping a record of inat- 
ings, I will give an illustration. You may believe that I 
wish I had kept mine a little closer. I know from what pens 
the birds reproduced by Mr. Sewell in the colored plate 
came, that is, I know the father. But in breaking up the 



pens in the summer I lost track of most of the females that 
were in that pen. If they were mated to that male again the 
eggs from those hens would be of almost untold value to me. 
Fellow-breeders of White Wyandottes, let us take up 
this matter of keeping accurate records of matings with the 
determination to carry it through, and then the splendid 
teachings of Mr. McGrew in the Reliable Poultry Journal 
will not be in vain and we shall have lifted our prized White 
Wyandottes to such a stage of perfection that breeders of 
other varieties will think we have discovered a lost art. As 
we can truthfully do so, we should always write and speak, 
as occasions offer themselves, in favor of the White Wyan- 
dottes. Anyone who takes to breeding this variety of Wyan- 
dottes will find we are justified in what we say, for our 
favorites stand ready to verify any statement we may make 
regarding them. ARTHUR G. DUSTON. 



BREED TO AN IDEAL. 



The Selection of a Breed and Then of a Variety— For the Beginner— Defects Increased by Injudicious Breeding— Ticking of 
Feathers— Feather Pulling— Stay-White White Wyandottes can be Produced. 



BY CHAS. G. ARNOLD, BREEDER, LELAND, m. 




OW often are we asked by persons who are about 
to start in the poultry business, "What breed 
would you select if you were I?" This is a ques- 
tion all beginners should settle for themselves. 
i e2,<££(0&9 You know best what are your likes and dislikes. 
We have eleven standard varieties in the American class, 
all of which are worthy of your attention. The Wyandottes 
are becoming more popular every year, and I wish to say 
to those who are about to start that you will make no mis- 
take in selecting one of the Wyandotte varieties. 

No beginner should handle or try to breed more than 
one variety. There is more to learn than you imagine. By 
the use of the modern incubator and brooder for hatching 
and caring for the chicks one is enabled to commence al- 
most any season of the year. The first step a beginner 
should take in the poultry business is to subscribe for some 
good poultry paper, such as the Reliable Poultry Journal. 
The knowledge I have gained from reading that Journal is 
the cause of my birds being what they are to-day. Each 
issue is equal to a year's experience. 

I have always had a great love for poultry. In 1872 my 
uncle, while importing other live stock from England, 
brought over a trio of Dark Brahmas and presented them to 
my mother, and it was my lot to care for them. Not know- 
ing at that time that there were poultry papers to read, our 
Brahmas soon suffered for the want of new blood, and in 
the course of about seven years our imported birds were no 
more. 

In 1888 I read my first poultry paper and at that time 
having a home of my own, I began raising White Wyan- 
dottes. I was quite contented with the birds I then owned 
for a few years. Soon I purchased the American Standard 
of Perfection and found my Wyandottes were very defec- 
tive. I then purchased a choice trio of a noted breeder and 
commenced anew. In 1895 I made my first exhibit, not for 
the sole purpose of winning, but for what I could learn. I 
have bred the White Wyandottes eight years, and each year 
I get new and better ideas in regard to mating, feeding, 
housing, etc. 



I find if I mate birds having the same defects that their 
progeny will show them to an alarming extent. Where the 
female is defective select a male that is exceptionally strong 
in her defective sections, and continue to breed against such 
defects year after year. Keep constantly in your memory 
in what particulars your birds have been deficient and mate 
them so as to correct the defects in the progeny. Every 
breeder should have in his mind's eye an ideal fowl of the 
variety he is breeding. It should be better than anything 
he has ever seen — a perfect specimen in every section. You 
may never be able to produce such a bird, but your flock in 
general will be greatly improved. Choice specimens cannot 
be produced by a haphazard method of mating. An ideal 
must be formed and we must breed toward it. The person 
who is satisfied with what he has produced and is willing to 
accept it as good enough for him is not a true fancier. A 
true fancier is one that is always striving to produce better 
birds. It makes no difference how good the parent stock is, 
he is always looking for something better and when mating 
has this object in view — to produce better birds. 

When two choice specimens are mated, should you pro- 
duce two or three that show a marked improvement over 
the parent stock you have done well. Do not think for a 
moment that all the progeny is going to be equal to the 
parents. You will undoubtedly raise several disqualified 
birds, for which no one is to blame. The best breeder's stock 
is subject to throwing a disqualified specimen occasionally. 
I have noticed that when I mate birds with combs smaller 
than medium in size I get a great many single combs, and 
when I mate them larger than medium I have combs so 
large that they lop to one side, causing another disqualifica- 
tion. 

There is also that ticking in the plumage of the White 
Wyandotte which most breeders have been very slow to rec- 
ognize as a serious defect. It is about twenty-seven years 
since they were originated, and judging by all indications 
there is about as much of it now as then. This pulling 
feathers to make a disqualified specimen a star bird, is prac- 
ticed too much for the good of the breed. In the eight years 



65 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



1 have bean breeding White Wyandottes my foremost object 
has boon to .cot rid of this ticking. Last season fully seventy- 
rive nor cent Of all 1 raised were entirely free from it, and 
for the last four years 1 have not bred a bird of my own 
raisins that has shown the Last particle of it. It is not SO 
hard to brood out as a great many think. To be snre it 
takes time, but one's time is well spent when sueh a defect 
is eliminated from one's strain. The white in the ear-lobes 
is diminishing very fast, so would this ticking in plumage 
if the feathers could not be pulled out and the bird improved 
for the time being. Some breeders advise pulling these col- 
ored feathers before they mature, and claim that they will 
come in perfectly white. This may be true, but it will not 
be of any benefit to the bird as a breeder. With time and 
careful breeding we will overcome these defects to quite an 
extent, and I do hope there will be more attention paid to 



perfecting this breed or any other where such work has been 
practiced. It is as necessary to have a clear white and a 
stay-white color on our White Wyandottes as it is for them 
to have a nice, clear yellow leg. It is the purity of the color 
that makes them handsome. 

Weight is also another important point. A great many 
breeders are using heavy weight male birds to increase the 
size of the offspring. It should be done on the female side 
and done very gradually. There is also a tendency to get 
them two or three pounds heavier than the standard de- 
mands. Their respective standard weights are heavy 
enough. The Wyandottes are considered to be one of the 
best general purpose fowls and when we increase their size 
we prolong their maturity, and when we lengthen their ma- 
turity we are losing in their useful qualities. 

CHARLES G. ARNOLD. 



THE BREEDING OF WHITE WYANDOTTES. 



With Special Attention to Size, Color and Number of Eggs— A True Breeder Must Combine Utility 

and Beauty. 



BY JOHN H. JACKSON, HUDSON, MASS. 




LTHOUGH numerous articles have been written 
on White Wyandottes, I do not think too much 
can be said in favor of this popular variety of 
: ^>Sj J^jb fowls. As bred to-day, they are not perfect, but 
£ ^">^ — ^no other fowl, in my judgment comes as near 
being an all-purpose fowl. I have bred poultry for nearly 
twenty years, always under my own care and management, 
beginning when a boy, and have found the thoroughbreds 
the most profitable for practical purposes. I have bred the 
Leghorns, Minorcas and Plymouth Rocks with good success. 
They always yielded me a profit, but I was looking for some- 
thing better, and believe I have found it in the White Wyan- 
dottes. 

In laying qualities the White Wyandottes in my hands 
have equaled the Leghorns and Minorcas, and they excel 
them greatly for market or table purposes, while as broilers 
they are ready for use at any age, of any size required and at 
seasons when most other breeds would not be in condition. 
They are at all times free from dark pin feathers, which is 
the main drawback to the black and parti-color varieties. 
For roasters weighing from four to five pounds nothing 
excels the White Wyandottes, and I do not think any other 
breed equals them. There are cross-bred fowls that give 
good results for broilers and roasters (as I have found by 
experience), but it is necessary to go to the trouble to keep 
full-blood stock on both sides with which to make the first 
cross each season. The White Wyandottes fill the bill just 
as well as any cross-bred fowl, and save all this extra work 
and expense. 

All varieties of Wyandottes have the full, broad breast, 
the bulky build and firm flesh which dress well and com- 
mand the best prices on the market. When I began to breed 
White Wyandottes they did not lay very large eggs, and the 
color of the eggs varied greatly from a light colored to a 
dark brown shell. At the present time, however, the best 
strains lay large, richly colored brown eggs, and they lay a 
good many more of them than they used to. They are to- 



day one of our very best layers, especially in winter time, 
owing to their rose combs, which do not freeze. 

The White Wyandotte is a hardy fowl and the chicks 
are easy to raise. Of course, there are poor strains in this 
as well as in other varieties. The best strains are produced 
by the careful breeders, by those who appreciate what is 
really valuable in a standard-bred fowl and work for it 
through a term of years. We have every reason to believe 
that the White Wyandottes, by intelligent selection and 
mating, can be brought to a very high state of perfection 
and still hold their utility qualities to an unexcelled degree. 
A number of years ago, when breeding Minorcas, I had a 
pullet that scored, under three different judges, 95 to 96 
points. She began to lay early and laid throughout the win- 
ter. I could not learn what the laying qualities of her direct 
ancestors were, but thought this bird a good one with which 
to start a strain, so I raised all the chicks I could hatch 
from her eggs and succeeded in getting quite a flock of fine, 
standard birds having extra laying qualities. 

It is in this same manner, as a result of my first s experi- 
ment with Minorcas, that I have prosecuted the breeding of 
White Wyandottes. From the first I have given special 
attention to the size, color and number of eggs laid by my 
White Wyandottes, and I find that this breed, the same as 
others under intelligent management, responds quickly and 
surely to proper selection and matings. I do not claim that 
culls will not sometimes turn out to be good layers, as well 
as the best specimens, but the point is this: Is it not better 
to breed from birds having good laying qualities and meet- 
ing standard requirements than to breed from fowls with 
equally good laying qualities but not meeting standard re- 
quirements, meaning those of size, shape and shade of color, 
including other lesser points of beauty, like comb, color of 
eye, etc.? 

As a matter of fact there are few breeders of fowls who 
do not prefer fine-looking birds, even though they insist on 
having good layers and fine table fowl. Many times I have 



66 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



received letters from persons wanting to buy birds, stating 
that they did not want "show birds," but nevertheless they 
would proceed to give a description of a bird, or birds, that 
would be well calculated to win in any show room, which 
goes to prove that the standard-bred fowl is the most attrac- 
tive, even to the mind of the unprofessional. 

It is true that in breeding for good laying qualities, com- 
bined with standard requirements, you will have to sacrifice 
some fine looking specimens, those that are below par as 
layers. My best success has been gained in raising only 
as many each year as I could take good care of and in select- 
ing the best specimens for breeding, selling all culls on the 
market. If one has plenty of house and yard room it often 
pays to keep the culls for fall and winter layers, disposing 
of them the next spring when they become broody, or a little 
later when they start to molt. They always sell well at 
that season of the year in our local markets when the people 
get tired of the frozen stuff that is marketed at that time of 
the year. In breeding only a comparatively small number, 
or as many as you can take proper care 
of, your chances of greatly improving 
your flocks both in standard and utility 
points are increased. 

In mating White Wyandottes I do not 
use the large, rangy males to get size. If 
you do this you are sure to get long, lanky 
cockerels. It is from the females that we 
get the most even size and best formed 
males, the blocky built birds, those not 
above standard weight preferred. For 
females, I use good layers — specimens 
from six to seven pounds. I do not want 
them larger or heavier than this, for big 
Wyandottes do not lay as well as stan- 
dard weight fowls. I want my Wyan< 
dotte females to be "full of business," and 
they do not need to be an ounce above 
standard weights for best results. These 
standard weight birds are the ones that 
mature the quickest. Still, you are com- 
pelled to breed a percentage of large birds 
to meet the demand for breeding stock 
made by persons who do not appreciate 
the true value of Wyandottes. I hope they 
will learn to do so later on. 

Breeding for good combs is a strong 
point in White Wyandottes. If a bird is 
good in every other way, but has a bad 
comb, it is spoiled to sell for breeding purposes, or for 
exhibition. I believe in breeding persistently for small, 
evenly pebbled combs. Even if you breed from a good comb 
that is too large, you will get many poor combs. A small 
comb that is uneven will not look so bad as a big comb that 
is even. By breeding for medium combs I have had by far 
the best results in sales, in profits and in satisfied customers. 
The amateur, I am free to say, will always look for a good 
comb whether he knows anything about a fowl or not. The 
best advice I can give the amateur is to learn all he possibly 
can about the breed or variety in which he is interested. 
This is his protection. 

The eyes and lobes are of great importance, with refer- 
ence to the beauty of White Wyandottes. A rich bay, or red 
eye, is what is wanted. A pale or white eye gives the bird 
an Unnatural, out-of-condition look and is despised by the 
true fancier. A male with a weak lobe, that is, one that is 
inclined to show white at times, is a poor bird to breed. It 
will show more or less in females according to their condi- 
tion as layers, but a male should have a strong red lobe at 
all times. 



The surface color and the shape of White Wyandottes 
are of prime importance. My ideal bird in shape is of blocky 
build. Pure white color is what is causing much discussion. 
I much prefer a white bird, but do not believe in sacrificing 
rich yellow legs, beak and skin for chalk-white feathers. 
The latter will have a light yellow or lemon colored leg, 
which will turn almost white before the fowl is two years 
old. I will not breed from a male that does not have rich 
yellow legs and beak. I do not believe in birds that show 
brassiness in plumage or yellow in the quills, but there is 
danger of our breeding them to a point of whiteness where 
they will have light colored legs, beak and skin. We must 
compromise somewhere between the -two extremes. 

Some of the best White Wyandottes at the late Boston 
show were very white, with good colored legs, excepting one 
pullet. She was standard in weight and a grand bird in 
every way, with chalk-white plumage, but she was light in 
color of legs. With proper care and attention birds with 
fine yellow legs, beak and skin can be placed on exhibition 




FIRST PRIZE PEN OP WHITE WYANDOTTES AT AMESBVRY, MASS., 

Dec. 1897 — Average Score, 95J£ Points. Bred and Owned by J. H. Jackson, Hudson, Mass. 



with their plumage snow-white, but even the best of them 
are very apt to show more or less of the objectionable yellow 
cast in surface plumage as the birds grow older and are ex- 
posed to all kinds of weather. In my opinion it is better to 
sacrifice color to this extent rather than breed out the good 
market qualities, viz: yellow legs and skin. 

In writing this article I have based the statements on 
facts obtained from my own experience. Although not so 
large a breeder as many others, I give them my constant 
study and have been successful with my matings. I tnink I 
have produced as many high-class specimens proportion- 
ately to the number raised, as any other breeder of White 
Wyandottes who has still held to and improved the utility 
qualities of the variety. Birds of my breeding have scored 
to 96 points and a fraction, and won honors in strong com- 
petition, which is proof enough to my mind that utility and 
beauty can be combined in the White Wyandotte. I, there- 
fore, take the ground that it. is the true fancier's duty to 
combine the two, sacrificing in the long run neither the one 
nor the other. I hold that both are essential to true success 
in producing this or any other popular American^ ^variety 
that has a commercial value. 



J. H. JACKSON. 



6: 



A PRACTICAL FANCY FOWL. 



White Wyandottes the Fowls for Amateurs— Their Origin —Pre-eminently the Breed for Broilers- 
Unexcelled Market Fowl — Comparison with Other Breeds— Early Maturity— Good 
Layers, Sitters and Mothers — Selection of Breeders. 



BY RALPH I. DUNI.Ar, BREEDER) JACKSONVILLE, ILLINOIS. 




.0 MUCH has been written about the White Wy- 
andotte that it seems an almost useless task to 
endeavor to tell anything new. But if we con- 
sider for a moment that old saying, "When you 
get a good thing push it along," a few remarks 
will perhaps not be out of place. The theory of the origin 
of the White Wyandotte which is generally accepted, is that 
they are sports of the Silvers. And this no doubt accounts 
for the little gray ticking and the splashes of gray which are 
found in the plumage of so many specimens. 

The shape which the standard demands for the Wyan- 
dotte is one that I consider almost ideal. I hardly think 
that it could be improved. It is a shape that catches the eye 
of all, whether it is seen in the show room or on the farm; 
by the fancier or the utility man. While the standard does 
not call for Wyandotte shape in Plymouth Rocks, yet 1 have 
noticed that a Rock with Wyandotte shape presents a very 
pleasing appearance and is very much admired by a great 
many people. Why? Because it gives to the bird that full- 
ness and compactness of form that is possessed by no other 
breed. 

It is rather a difficult task to find words with which to 
describe the Wyandotte shape, although the term "blocky" 
expresses it about as well as anything. This distinct blocky 
shape is very striking even when the chick is first hatched 
and it grows more striking as the bird becomes older. I once 
heard a person remark, "I do not like some of the fastest 
race horses because they are so ugly." Now, if the swiftest 
racer were also the handsomest animal, he would be greatly 
admired by all. How is it with the Wyandotte? In my 
humble opinion they come nearer having an ideal shape 
than any other breed, and they are not only a handsome 
fowl but they are business birds from the word "go." This 
applies to the whole Wyandotte family, for what is standard 
shape for one variety is standard shape for all. 

When it comes to the question of size I will select the 
American class every time, for the Wyandottes and Ply- 
mouth Rocks are not so large and clumsy as the fowls of tne 
Asiatic class nor so small and nervous as those of the Medi- 
terranean, but they are just right — a happy medium. 

The comb is another splendid feature of the Wyandotte. 
They have a comb that is low with no high points to freeze; 
one that has a neat and healthy look, and one that gives to 
the bird the same pleasing appearance that a nice hat does 
to a well-dressed man. Any one who keeps fowls during a 
cold winter can realize the value of such a comb from a 
utility standpoint and it is not devoid of beauty, either. An- 
other good feature of the Wyandotte is its clean, yellow, 
ieatherless legs. What an advantage it gives them for mar- 
ket purposes, besides they can run about in all kinds of 
weather, without carrying a large tract of real estate around 
on each foot, soiling and breaking their feathers. 



After noting the excellent characteristics of the Ameri- 
can class in general and of the Wyandotte family in par- 
ticular, then comes the task of selecting a variety of this 
noble breed. There are the Blacks, Buffs, Goldens, Silvers 
and Whites, named in the order of their popularity, begin- 
ning with the least popular. I had never seen a White Wy- 
andotte before I decided to breed them and sent for eggs. 
Yet I did not merely stumble on a good variety as some 
people do, for I had read a great deal about their fine quali- 
ties, both as exhibition specimens and business birds. I 
also had seen some Silvers and in this way was pleased with 
the Wyandotte shape. I should probably have bought Sil- 
vers, but the males were, in my opinion, very ugly in color, 
and besides I always had admired a fowl with snow white 
plumage. It makes such a nice combination with a red 
comb, bay eyes and clean yellow legs. But some people pre- 
fer one variety, some another. It is purely a matter of taste 
and the choice must be made by the person himself. 

I chose the White Wyandotte, first, because I always 
admired a white fowl and because I wanted one that was a 
good layer, a good sitter and mother, and a good market 
bird, and I believed the White Wyandotte to be unsurpassed 
as an all-around, general-purpose fowl. Nor have I ever 
regretted my choice, for I have found the White Wyandotte 
to be all that a reasonable person could wish. I do not 
mean that they will lay two eggs per day or are ready for 
frys at the age of three weeks, nor do they possess any other 
extraordinary features such as I have seen claimed for some 
breeds, but if you want a fowl that presents a fine appear- 
ance in the show room and one that is a business bird from 
the time it is hatched, get the White Wyandotte. 

With the exception of about four years I have raised 
chickens since I was a lad of five and I have bred common 
chickens, Black, Buff and Partridge Cochins, Light Brah- 
mas, Black Langshans, Brown Leghorns and Barred Ply- 
mouth Rocks. I do not say that I have not been successful 
with these breeds, but I only wish to state that I discarded 
them because I have been more successful with the White 
Wyandotte. While the Cochins and Brahmas made good lay- 
ers and good eating, they could also do their part when it 
came to the eating question. They were too clumsy and 
lazy to suit me, and they were always standing around in 
the way, breaking eggs when sitting, and tramping upon, 
the young chicks. Still my great grandmother, now in her 
eighty-ninth year, and my grandmother have both been 
raising Buff Cochins for a long, long time. The Black Lang- 
shans I found to be splendid winter layers, good sitters and 
mothers, but their feathered legs and black plumage were 
against them for market purposes. The Leghorns were too 
scary and had such nice, large combs for Jack Frost to nip! 
I will not say any thing against the Barred Rocks, for they 
belong to the American class, but the Wyandotte shape and 



68 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



the Wyandotte comb were what made me give the prefer- 
ence to the Wyandottes. 

I have had White Wyandotte pullets lay at the age of 
one hundred and thirty-two days, but I never try to push 
them for very early laying, for the little gained does not 
equal what is lost in size. They will begin to lay, however, 
along in the fall, and a pullet or hen either, for that matter, 
that will do this, will lay through the winter when eggs 
bring such good prices. The energetic Wyandotte will not 
only lay during the fall and winter, but will keep right on 
shelling out the eggs during the spring and summer months 
as well. The Leghorns may be egg-machines, but give me 
the White Wyandotte for all-around laying. No artificial 
heat is needed to keep their combs from freezing and to en- 
courage egg-production. 

The White Wyandotte is not only a good layer, but she 
is a good sitter and mother as well. When it comes to the 
market question, the White Wyandotte stays in the front 
ranks. What fowl presents a nicer appearance on the mar- 
ket? The Barred Rocks are claimed to be the best market 
fowl in existence, but one of the prominent broiler men in 
the east, says that he kept these two breeds side by side, but 
finally discarded the Rocks because the Wyandottes were 
ready for market at an earlier age. This is what he says 
when it comes to the forcing question: "If you try to raise 
Rocks and Wyandottes in the same pen, the experiment 
will prove to you this fact: Your Rocks will go 'off their 
legs' while the deep-breasted, plump-bodied, smooth- 
skinned, active little Wyandottes take their medicine five 
times a day and stand straight as matches." 

My own experience has been that they grow faster. Then 
they do not grow by jerks, as some breeds do, that is, they 
do not grow awhile, stop and take on a coat of feathers and 
then fill out, but they keep right on growing all the time 
and are always plump and compact, instead of slim and 
loose-jointed. I have found that they stand confinement 
well in small pens, although if given range they make fine 
foragers. 

I will not go into detail in regard to their care and feed- 
ing, but I should like to mention a few points. Crushed 
oyster shell, sharp, hard grit, plenty of clean, fresh water, 
a dust bath (or some means of keeping vermin away), clean, 
roomy quarters, good feed and common sense in feeding are 
necessary to successfully produce good, healthy, vigorous 
stock. If you have fine stock and eggs for sale, judicious 
advertising and exhibiting, and plenty of perseverance are 
further requirements for success with poultry. 

A great many people rush pell-mell into the poultry 
business with great theories about raising poultry on a large 
scale, who have almost no practical knowledge of the busi- 
ness. They intend to keep a great many kinds and to do 
things just right. They read everything about poultry that 
they can get and think by this means to be able to cope with 
any difficulty that may arise, not knowing that many things 
can only be learned by experience. They see no way for 
failure to overtake them and (on paper) they count their 
profits. But do they succeed? Perhaps a small per cent of 
them do, but it is only when a little common sense has been 



knocked into their heads (probably at the cost of a great 
many dollars), in the hard school of experience. And even 
then it requires nerve and perseverance to stick to it. 

How much better it would have been if they had started 
in a small way, learning the details of the business which 
can only be mastered by experience, and then gradually in- 
creased as success and practical knowledge warranted. 

I hardly feel competent to give an outline for breeding 
the White Wyandotte, but I advise the reading of that splen- 
did article on "Standard Bred White Wyandottes," by Mr. 
Arthur G. Duston, on page 64, reproduced from the Reli- 
able Poultry Journal. Also the many other excellent arti- 
cles which have been published in the Reliable about this 
noble variety. My advice, however, is to throw out all spec- 
imens with single combs and feathered legs even if there is 
only a stub. Also discard those with very much white in 
the ear-lobe. Pick birds with bay eyes, as pearl or gray ones 
give the bird an unnatural look. Market all those that have 
green or dark colored legs. Some birds that are closely con- 
fined have pale colored legs, but if given a good range with 
plenty of grass, nearly all will have nice yellow legs. 

Breed for good combs. A large, ill-shaped one gives- a 
bird a bad appearance. Low, even, nicely pebbled combs 
fitting closely to the head, are what we want. 

Remember the Wyandotte shape when mating your 
birds, for, as Mr. T. F. McGrew says, in one of his fine arti- 
cles on "Science in Breeding," "Shape should come before 
color, it is shape that makes the breed, color the variety." 
Breed for that blocky build. Do this and you can soon tell 
what good Wyandotte shape is. High, pinched tails, long 
backs, slim necks, flat breasts, narrowness between the 
legs, badly shaped heads, large combs, or slim bodies on tall, 
stilty legs, do not make a blocky, compact bird. And right 
here let me say, do not use Dig, rangy males, as such birds 
never have a nice, compact form and the cockerels from 
this kind of a mating are generally slim and lanky. Intro- 
duce or build up the size with the females and keep the 
shape. 

Now comes the color question. I do not feel firmly 
enough settled to give my opinions on this subject yet, but 
I will say breed for pure white plumage, stay-white plum- 
age, but do not sacrifice shape for color. The White Wyan- 
dotte still shows its close relationship to the Silvers by the 
little gray ticking and gray splashes which appear in the 
plumage. This is not a disqualification, only a defect and 
is still a common fault, so do not think the person from 
whom you bought is dishonest if you receive birds with a 
little gray in them. Above all, be sure to have good, 
healthy, vigorous stock with which to start. The best is 
none too good. 

I have endeavored to present a few plain facts that I 
have learned from experience. If I have made any rash or 
untrue statements no one will be happier to h&ve them cor- 
rected than I. I have also endeavored to give the breeds 
with which I have compared the White Wyandotte, their 
just dues, for I always dislike to read an article lauding one 
variety to the skies and running down all others, even if 
tnat article be on White Wyandottes. 

RALPH I. DUNLAP. 




69 



BEST BREEDS FOR BROILERS. 



Valuable Points on Broiler Raising by a Man Who is Successful— The Merits of the Light Brahmas, Leghorn-Brahmas, 
Wyandotte-Brahmas, Barred and White Rocks and White Wyandottes Set Forth. 



BY ARTHUR G. DUSTON, BREEDER, MARLBORO, MASS. 



£££ 



AM going to present some hints on broiler rais- 
ing as exemplified by me on my farm in Marl- 
boro. Mass. I believe that many lose courage 
in raising broilers by not obtaining the right 
stock. Now don't say, "he is going to blow his 
own horn." but wait and see if I do not give each variety 
that I have tried its dues. 

First, many take Brahmas. They might do far worse. 
Let us take the Brahma from the egg and follow it. Mr. 
Felch says Brahmas are superior for this purpose. Yet, in 
an argument with an incubator manufacturer, his first and 
best proved claim is, that they do not hatch as well artifi- 
cially as eggs from the American or Mediterranean classes. 
Does it pay to put eggs in machines that will make the 
chicks cost, on coming into the brooder house, 25 to 50 per 
cent more than others? 

Once in the brooder, Brahmas prove very strong as little 
chicks, but look out for leg-weakness, their heavy bodies 
proving too much for small legs. 

Again, any one watching chicks raised artificially knows 
that they will attain their height earlier than those raised 
with hens. So a Brahma chick has that against it as a 
broiler, for long legs with feathers on them hurt a fowl in 
the market. But, properly taken care of, Light Brahmas 
will prove fairly satisfactory for broilers. As roasters, 
which subject can not be even touched on in this article, 
they are choice. 

While the Brahma is under consideration it seems well 
to take up two of the more popular crosses made with them, 
viz: Leghorn on Brahma and Wyandotte on Brahma. 

Leghorn on Brahma chicks have some very good points 
which are: Yellow skin and legs, fairly plump bodies, and 
they also feather early, but a large proportion of the early 
cockerels will be so near full blood Leghorn that they would 
easily be taken for them by a casual observer, and to force 
them, giving a liberal quantity of meat or ground bone, to- 
gether with the heat, will develop extremely large combs, 
which give dressed birds the appearance of their being old 
— a point against us. Furthermore, the nervous tempera- 
ment of this cross (taken from the Leghorn) keeps them 
from making flesh, where other varieties would take on fat. 

I have run this cross and at fifteen weeks I could not 
force at least twenty-five per cent of them to weigh more 
than from one and one-half to one and three-quarters 
pounds. 

The Wyandotte-Brahma cross is almost ideal, being 
hardy, low-combed and not getting "stagy" at an early age, 
as with the Leghorn cross; but, my dear reader, do.you 
know there is something about the feathered leg that is not 
inviting to the buyer? To see a neat, yellow breasted broiler 
with a mass of feathers on the legs and feet will detract 
from its appearance more than one would think, unless he 
has had the very fastidious market of Boston to cater to. 



The carcass of this cross is plump and yellow, only a small 
proportion coming so dark as to have black pin feathers 
enough to injure the looks. 

To leave the Asiatics, we will touch on the Barred and 
White Plymouth Rocks. The rich yellow legs and bodies of 
these justly popular fowls, the quick growth, with not 
enough comb to hurt, give us a broiler hard to beat — one of 
the worst faults being dark pin feathers in the Barred, 
which are always somewhat objectionable in a broiler, for 
the reason they are put on the market at an age when it is 
impossible to get them all out. 

I can not go through all the breeds, but will only take 
up those I have honestly tried. This brings me to the last, 
to White Wyandottes. To be frank, I will state that 1 once 
thought of discarding this breed as not fitted for my busi- 
ness purposes, but after "summering and wintering" them, I 
now feel that I would drop all others before I would them. 

Let us note their faults. The first is that in some birds, 
more especially those bred for extreme whiteness, you will 
find they are not yellow-meated. At the same time I have 
seen the whitest plumaged birds have rich yellow skin, beak 
and legs. In buying stock look for yellow beak, and as yel- 
low a leg as you could naturally expect at the time of year 
you are buying; that is, make allowance for a bird hived up 
in a yard, with sand to dust in, as it will surely bleach their 
legs to a flesh color. 

Another trouble you may have with the Wyandotte, as 
perhaps you would have with no other breed, is, confining a 
large number in a small pen, they easily take up feather 
pulling. I think this is due to the peculiar way in which 
they feather. Some will grow to weigh one and one-half 
pounds before they have any but neck and wing feathers. 
Then the pin feathers start all at once, making the habit 
easily formed by the "chicken act" of striking one another, 
or picking off any soft food that may adhere to the feathers. 
But plenty of green food will obviate that to a great extent, 
especially should the food be freshly cut clover. Of course 
it can not be obtained in winter, but well-cured clover rowen 
can. With care, after this warning, you need have no trou- 
ble in this direction. 

Regarding white skin, it may be overcome by the use of 
the right kind of food, making it yellow enough to suit any 
one. Now that we have seen the faults of the White Wyan- 
dottes in their worst light, let me extol their virtues as 
broilers, for they have many. 

The eggs being reasonably thin-shelled they hatch as 
well as any you can get. 

They mature as laying pullets a full month earlier than 
Plymouth Rocks, thus giving you eggs for early hatching. 

Their clean, yellow legs, low combs, white pin feathers, 
and quick growing qualities, render them the best broilers I 
can put out. 

I sold hundreds to dress eight ounces (one-half pound) 



70 



THE WYANDOTTES. 



this year and they were as round as a "butter ball;" this 
big one of their most important merits, that when prop- 
erly fed they are always ready for market. 

Again, they will stand all the forcing any bird can. It 
you try to raise Rocks and Wyandottes in the same pen the 
IxperiLnt will prove to you this fact: Your Rocks will go 
«3f their legs," while the deep-breasted, plump-bodied, 
smooth-skinned, active little Wyandottes take their medi- 
cine five times a day and stand as straight as matches. Re- 
member, it is generally the bird that can stand the greatest 
amount of food that makes the quickest grown broiler and 
must be the bird you should adopt, as every additional day 
means additional cost from labor, coal and food. 

I have written this article from the market point of 
view, that is, the sales-counter, as that is where we get our 
returns. 



Now, for one moment let us look at the matter as epi- 
cures. Take any one of the varieties mentioned above, 
and the Wyandotte, besides having the extra flesh on breast, 
as I stated before, caused by the great depth of breast-bone, 
is as juicy and delicious as any, and, in the opinion of "our 
folks", more so, a dish luscious enough for a king. 

This is my experience briefly set forth. If I have writ- 
ten anything that will in any way aid my brother poultry- 
man, I am satisfied. One word in closing. Do not be m a 
hurry to cross your stock, as no one can make me believe 
that there is anything gained by crossing, for there is no 
place that a thoroughbred of some variety will not fill the 
bill, and once you start to cross where can you stop? The 
labor and skill of years comes to naught when you destroy 
the integrity of a breed or strain by crossing. 

ARTHUR G. DUSTON. 



THE WHITE WYANDOTTE. 



BY EDWARD CRAIG, ALBION, ILL. 



Among the many varieties of fowls claiming the atten- 
tion of the general public this noble fowl is coming rapidly, 
and by its own merits, to the front. 

The poultry kingdom embraces fowls kept for their 
beauty, others for their qualities as egg producers, others for 
their fine quality of flesh, and yet others for their weight 




WHITE WYANDOTTE COCKEREL, EDWARD I. 

Bred and Owned by Edward Craig, Albion, 111 



alone Two or more of these qualities are often found in 
one variety, as the Leghorn family for eggs, flesh and 
beauty, the Plymouth Rocks for weight and egg producing 
qualities, and so on through the entire list. 

Thousands of families cannot afford to keep fowls solely 
for their beauty, something profitable being the fowl for 
them. Indeed, the fowl needed for the entire northern part 
of the United States is a judicious combination of all the 
desirable qualities. This want is well filled, I claim, by the 
White Wyandotte. This grand bird, combining beauty with 
good egg-producing qualities, is establishing a place for 
itself that from its very nature it is sure to retain. 

A flock of these birds, with their clear white plumage 
forming a striking contrast to the bright, yellow beak and 
legs and with their neat, close-fitting rose combs, the latter 
fitting them for the rigor of our northern winters, is a beau- 
tiful sight When the fancier goes over his flock, consigning 
the inevitable culls to the market, or when those who keep 
poultry for eggs and flesh take their produce to the dealer, 
the White Wyandotte weighs out in good shape and helps fill 
the pocketbook of the seller. As a table fowl their blocky 
bodies, with yellow skin and fine flavor, make a meal to be 
appreciated by the epicure. 

As layers of eggs they rank next to the Leghorn, that 
queen of layers. Indeed, we have found by experience that 
during the season of high-priced eggs the White Wyandotte, 
with its small, rose comb uninjured by frost, will replenish 
the egg basket when the Leghorn is nursing a frozen comb. 
Again, it is a well-known fact that many varieties are 
hard to raise, comparatively few surviving the first few 
weeks With a fair chance the White Wyandotte will reach 
maturity a strong healthy bird. We believe these fowls are 
the general-purpose fowls of America, a fowl that will soon 
find a place in every part of the country. 

EDWARD CRAIG. 



71 







RELIABLE 
POULTRY 
JOURNAL 

Co^vftiQHT- 

BUFF WYANDOTTES. 

By SEWELL, NOVEMBER, J899. 

Characteristics, shape and standard requirements are substantially the same as those given for the Silver Laced variety, page 34. 
The color of the plumage is the'only marked difference, this variety showing a beautiful buff color in all sections. 



72 



THE BUFF WYANDOTTES. 




rOW we have to consider one variety of the Wy- 
andotte breed that is in an experimental stage 
so far as the production of show specimens is 
concerned. In my opinion they are one of the 
«v best of this family and during my six years 
experience with them they have proven to be excellent 
layers, sitters and mothers, but we cannot expect them 
to breed true in color and other fancy points m so short 
a time We find exceptionally fine stock here and there 
over the country. We even have seen solid buff wings and 
tails on both males and females, but these are not average 
birds, they are way above the average. The best breeders 
of the Buffs who are looking for their advancement along 
the lines of honest improvement, will admit that as yet they 
have not perfected this variety. 

We have many obstacles to overcome, perhaps more 
than are encountered in the breeding of any other buff vari- 
ety First, we must overcome about forty per cent of 
black; then there is more red than yellow in the make-up of 
the foundation stock of most strains, and white has been 
introduced to soften the color. About all the buff we have 
been able to get was from the Cochin cross and in most cases 
this was from Cochin males with a lot of black in wings and 
tails There has also been a direct cross of Golden Wyan- 
dottes which has helped some sections, but injured others 
Some breeders used a cross of Rhode Island Reds instead of 
Golden Wyandottes, which in a measure was better, as it 
did not cause so many black or laced necks. Intelligent 
breeders in every state are taking up the buff variety and 
already they have enough good ones to help one another 
During the next two years there will be more improvement 
in Buff Wyandottes than has been made in the past five 
years and it will be accomplished by mating Wyandottes 
and not by resorting to outside crosses which has been the 

rule in the past. 

The standard is very plain on the question of color in 
this as it is in all buff varieties. The color is the same m all 
-a "rich golden buff, free from shafting or mealy appear- 
ance " It is easy to understand, but hard to produce. In 
the first place, buff is a made color and not a primary color. 
When it is produced it is hard to hold unless the breeder is 
an expert and knows to a certainty the strength of his 
breeding stock, both male and female. This is where in- 
breeding, described in another part of this book, holds 
despotic sway. Without inbreeding one cannot produce 
good Buffs year after year. One must know the sires and 
dams of his stock to make sure of success. 

The man who wins this year, fails next and wins tue 
next is not much encouragement to a Buff amateur. But 
the man whose advice is worth much to you is the breeder 
who wins year after year and who can show stock three and 
four years old that still retains the same elegant buff color 
that his cockerels and pullets show. There are Messrs. 
Sharp Brothers, of Oakland Farm, Taunton, Mass., O L. 
McCord, of Danville, 111., and W. W. Browning, of Ogden, 
Utah men who win year after year. When such men talk 
of color breeding, the laymen can learn. I do not claim 
much for myself, but I do assert that I converse with more 
of the leading fanciers of this country than any other man 



who makes a business of judging fowls. I believe in im- 
provement and I believe our teachers should be qualified. 
Seeing a few birds in a number of shows does not teach me 
so much, but when I go to a leading breeder's yards and note 
his matings and he points out his stock in pen after pen, 
which looks as much alike as the average family of children, 
then I know I am getting at the heart of the business of 
breeding fancy stock, and I get information of great value 

to others. 

In shape the Buffs should be a fac-simile of the Silvers, 
and defects in shape must be cut in the same proportion. 
Remember that in color they must be absolutely buff. Black 
and white are alike objectionable and will.be cut when the 
birds are shown in the winter exhibitions. Remember, too, 
that red is not buff and when your birds are scored by an 
expert who is not color blind, the red birds will fail to win. 
Let the motto of every Buff Wyandotte breeder be, "solid 
buff from comb to tail." The future of the Buff Wyandottes 
depends upon their admirers, who cannot afford to miss an 
opportunity of perfecting them in any particular. Let me 
utter one warning, however. The utility side, which is so 
prominent at the present day, must not be allowed to retro- 
grade in the slightest. 



THE FEMALE. ■ 

The Golden Wyandotte breeders claim that the Goldens 
are "the beauty breed," but any one who sees a Buff Wyan- 
dotte female that is truly buff must feel that the Buffs are 
strong rivals for the honor of being called "the beauty 
breed " As an all-round fowl for meat and eggs the Buff 
Wyandotte has no superior in the middle weight class. As 
a winter layer she equals the best and as an every-day fowl 
for the farmer, she cannot be excelled. The fancier will find 
that it is well worth his time to give them the attention that 
is required to make this variety a perfect fancy fowl. As a 
fancy fowl, they are not yet perfected, as they have only 
been bred a few years, but the per cent of really first-class 
specimens that have been exhibited the past year makes one 
marvel at what has been accomplished, and it is only a mat- 
ter of a few years when they will be the equal of the oldest 
buff varieties in America. 

In color they should be a rich golden buff throughout, 
free from shafting or a mealy appearance, and they should 
show the same shade of buff in all sections. The descrip- 
tion of shape, comb, eyes, legs and feet is the same that I 
have given for the other varieties. 

In mating for color, the main trouble has been to get an 
even surface with clear wings and tail. The flights of the 
wings are usually better than the secondaries. The black 
blood that came through the Golden Wyandotte cross will 
make itself felt for several seasons. If the wing shows 
black in the secondaries with clear flights, the cut is from 
one-half to one point, according to degree. If black shows 
in both flights and secondaries, the cut is from one to two 
points If there is a red bow on the wings showing a sort of 
bay color cut it one. If any black appears in hackle, the 
cut is from one-half to one and one-half, according to de- 
gree If the surface color is uneven, that is, if two or more 
shades of buff appear in the same specimen, the cut is from 
73 



nil- \YY \NOOTTKS. 



half to one in all such sections. If the main tail feath- 
ged with black at tho top and the rest of the teath- 

S ' ' U '- ,h ° l ' m is ****** If tho tail is half black 

he cutis two, and if tho ontiro tail is black tho cut is four. 

Ren ember always that you oan only out for detects accord- 

tog to the number of points sot aside tor each section, and 
n order to cut all tho points that are allowed one section 

tho entire seotion must ho wrong. 

as huff color is tho same in all breeds and as tho meth- 



ods of producing a good buff color on Cochins will lust a, 
suooosstullv produce it on Wyandottes, I giv .Jre an abte 

' th, h book. 1 am sure it will be read with interest bv tho 
admirers ot all buff varieties. After handling Mr. B owning" 
birds in ho show room for several years and personally in 

tog that breeders of new buff varieties will make no mistake 
K they follow his instructions. T HEO. HEWES 



BUFF COLOR. 




FTER years of study and experimenting I think 
1 have discovered the causes of a majority of 
failures to produce prime buff color. I have 
seen breeders handle this color successfully 
for years and then go wrong at a time when 
they thought their mating, were just right. In disgust they 
the business when they should have studied harder to 
discover the cause of their trouble. Every article that I 
have read on mating buff colored chickens is wrong and mis- 
leading. The writers either advocate fostering red males 
or those that have some black in wings and tails They 
argue that the black feeds the buff color and adds luster to 
the plumage and that it is needed because the tendency of 
a I fowls is to lose color. After studying wild fowls for 
ars I am ready to say that I do not believe it. If it were 
true all wild fowls would be white, while the fact is, white 1 
wild birds of all kinds is the exception instead of the rule 

Buff color is composed principally of the primary color 
yellow having added just a little red and white. If ye low 
red and white make buff, then why should we add blacM 

,« 1 , f We , 3Ve ° 0t Ieamed t0 mix the thre e colors first 

named and we let the buff we have fade to such an extent 

hat we add black to check the fading, if you will m" the 

hltM S T m f iU the " ght *™^on, you will have 
that soft rich, pleasing color that has made the butf fowl 

171 "ir T^ W ° rld - Z ^ em ^tically that there is 

buff n J" miXing bUff COl0n Black does not feed 

buff color, nor does it add any luster to it. It is in fact a 

great curse in breeding for buff. It gives you laced necks 

black tails black in the wings, smoky under-co Tor and a 

muddy surface color. It will not even counteract white 

s 11 in spite of all this, we hear breeders who are handling 

buffs advocate using black. A few years ago judges cut 

severely for white and lightly for black in buff fowls A 

that time I took a bold stand against this outrage, and I am 

Pleased to say that now judges punish both defects alike 

The color to breed for is yellow and you want to get a 

Youwme tT T r^ d ° Wn t0 the Skin ' * Uills "fall 
You w ,11 get plenty of red and white without breeding for it 
but lf you ^ too much red or wh . te ^ can breed * , 

selection much easier than you can breed out the black for 
the reason given, that red and white are used in buff mix- 
tures and the yellow will mix with and control these colors 
to a far greater extent than it will black. Look to the 

SZr£!Z£ ^f Dg 8trength - " y ° U get S0Und ^face 
< or but white under-color, then you have more white than 

yellow in your mixture, and the result will be that your 
specimen is not half buff. y 



BV W. W. BROWNING, OGDEN, UTAH. 



Select your choicest breeders while the chicks are two 
to three months old. They will show defects then that mly 
disappear almost if not entirely, later on. Smoky under- 
color in back and neck will show plainly at this time It 
may disappear altogether later on, but it is in the blood'and 
you do not want to breed such specimens. If you purchase 
matured fowls and they do not breed properly examfne 
hem closely during their molting season and when the new 
feathers are quite young you will no doubt discover the 

hand'l'e IT ^Tl deP6nd ° n y ° Ur bUff matings unless *>u 
handle the chicks from the time they are a month old until 

they are matured, yes, even after they are matured. If 
white appears in your flock, do not use black to counteract 
it as white will appear in any solid black variety nearly as 
often as it does in some of the buff varieties. You will no 
find perfect buff color in every section of any of the new 
varieties of buffs. Use common sense in your mating! 
and overcome black, red and white by the use of yellow 
only. These theory writers have gotten black so firmly 
fixed m the older buff varieties that the sins of the parents 
are fastened onto the chickens even unto the "steenth" gen- 
eration. 6 

Some of these theorists who are supposed to be breed- 
ers, say that black is the proper thing if you keep it in the 
wing feathers and the tail so that it does not show from the 
surface when the fowl is viewed in a natural position. Nurs- 
ing black where the amateur does not see it is a ten-fold 
evil because the black is there and it will crop out in the 
chicks and very likely cause the amateur to quit to disgust 
Be sure that the flight feathers are perfectly clear buff, that 
there is no black in the neck and that there is as little dark 
as possible in the flight coverts and tail. See that the under- 
color is sound in as many sections as possible, and you will 
find your fowls gradually improving until they will reach 
perfection in color in all sections. Had I to choose between 
the two I should rather have a breeder with no black and 
take the one that had considerable white, until I got the 
black well bred out of the blood of my strain, unless J was 
breeding Buff Leghorns. This Buff variety has too much 
white in it on account of its White Leghorn ancestors 

Remember, yellow and black will not mix and produce a 
Pleasing color, while yellow, red and white will mix and 
give you that beautiful shade called buff. 

As to the effect of food on color, I have no knowledge 
I am not trying to produce my buffs in this way. I believe 
the proper way is to breed them right and that the food will 
then have but little, if any effect. W. W. BROWNING 



74 



BREEDING BUFF WYANDOTTES. 



A Comparatively New Breed— How to Start — Introducing Foreign Blood — Selling and Exhibiting Stock. 



BY MRS. J. M. DENISON, BREEDER, ELGIN, lht- 




ANY things have to be considered when we breed 
Buff Wyandottes. First, we must remember that 
they are comparatively a new breed and there- 
fore more study is required in mating them than 
in mating the Silvers or other varieties of Wyan- 
dottes. However, we have been making rapid strides and are 
in a fair way to overtake them. We claim for the Buffs a 
place at "the top of the ladder," and we will not be satisfied 
until it is assured. That they have qualities most desirable 
in an all-purpose fowl must be acknowledged by all, and the 
only question now is how to perfect them. 

Our greatest trouble arises in the desire to do too much 
in too short a time. The increased demand for stock and 
eggs leads us to overlook faults in our breeding stock, and 
we admit to our yards birds which have good score cards, 
but which should not be used as breeders if we wish the best 
results. Therefore, let me say to the beginner, do not con- 
sider how many birds, but how good ones you can produce. 
To this end put your money in a trio if you can not 
afford a pen. To make a start I should much rather put 
twenty-five dollars ($25) in a trio properly mated than into 
any other number. Mark the eggs and set those from each 
hen separately, marking the chickens when hatched so you 
can tell which hen produces the best stock, both pullets and 
cockerels. If you find that one hen throws better cockerels 
than the other, select the best and mate him to pullets from 
the other hen. Use your old male with pullets, selecting 
those that are strong in points where he is weak; and mate 
the hens with a cockerel strong in the sections in which the 
females are weak. 

Now you have a good start and unless there is some 
point in which both are weak you need not introduce new 
blood and new faults until you have become thoroughly 



acquainted with the good and bad features of your own 
strain. You can undo the work of years if not judicious in 
the introduction of new blood. 

Having a good foundation the success that follows de- 
pends greatly upon your love for the work and proper man- 
agement. The details of the business must be closely 
watched. Do not trust too much to hired help, for generally 
their interest is confined to their pay. Know your chickens 
and let them know you. Care for them as you like to be 
cared for and they will return your kindness tenfold. Hav- 
ing good stock and understanding your business, advertise 
it, selecting for your medium journals that will stand by the 
right and expose fraud regardless of the cost. Now the bat- 
tle is half won. The rest depends on your stick-to-it-ive- 
ness and honorable dealings with your customers. Let them 
feel that you have their interest in mind as well as your 
own, and then while you can not satisfy all, you can please 
the majority, thus making friends as well as customers. 

Another thing to be remembered is this. If you have 
been fortunate enough to produce exhibition birds show 
them. Do not say you have some at home as good or better 
than some one else has; prove it. Say so's do not go far 
and prove nothing. Suppose you do not take first prizes, 
you have learned how your birds compare with others and 
wherein they are faulty, thus you are better prepared for the 
shows another year. Then, too, the association with people 
interested in poultry helps. 

I have been successful to quite an extent, I am very 
proud to say, but it has not been luck, as some suggest. It 
has come by following the lines that I have advised here. 
There is still work to do, and we welcome the earnest 
worker to our ranks. 

MRS. J. M. DENISON. 



BUFF WYANDOTTES FOR AMATEURS. 



BY THEO. HEWES, TRENTON, MISSOURI. 




iHBRE is always more or less boom talk and 
writing about a new variety, and we are often 
led astray by fairy tales of the great egg pro- 
duction and elegant table qualities of these new 
fangled varieties. A few years ago I was se- 
verely criticised for writing an article regarding the Buff 
Wyandottes. At that time I warned the amateur to let them 
alone until the fanciers had made a standard breed of them, 
for at that time they were in their early experimental stage 
and not entitled to the name standard-bred. I have since 
been complimented by some who at that time censured me. 
The Buff Wyandottes have now passed the experimental 
stage, as a utility fowl, and are tc-day one of the very best 
of the middle weight birds. I have given them considerable 
attention in the past six years, and I have never handled a 
variety that I like better nor one that has given better 
results. 

They have actually been a surprise to me as winter lay- 
ers, and I doubt very much if we have a breed in the stan- 



dard that can beat them. The past winter I had built sev- 
eral small houses, 4x6, for winter breeding houses. These 
houses were enclosed in pens 16 feet square, and five females 
and one male placed in each for the winter. Among the lot 
of birds so mated were three hens and two pullets of the 
Buff Wyandottes. These birds were all fed alike, that is the 
same amount of food was given to each variety in its own 
pen, and all were fed twice a day. A mash made of bran 
and oatmeal was fed in the morning, and good wheat was 
thrown in the litter for the evening meal. During the cold- 
est weather ever known in this part of the United States, 
and with snow on the ground almost all the time, those five 
females laid an average of 77 eggs per month, or a little bet* 
ter than one egg every two days for each hen. 

These birds were not forced for eggs, in fact very little 
care was given them, as we are breeding only for the fancy 
and made no effort to secure eggs for the market. This rec- 
ord put me to thinking that t*ere must be some reason for 
this pen of Buff Wyandottes laying more than niy other 



75 



TUK YYYANPOTTKS. 



- 90 1 b6g*>n to look tor the cause In the first place 
1 found that they wore bettor contented and that they made 
effort to leavo the pens, even though the sate were left 
•.i. while other varieties? were constantly trying to find a 
M to cei out. and if a gate wore left open a minute they 
would make a break for it. They seemed to be larger than 
the Silver Wyandottes. but on weighing them 1 found that 
they wore a few ounces lighter. Why should they look 
larger, was the Question that next came up, and I found on 
tion that they are dressed warmer. Their plum- 
age is longer, which gives them the appearance of being 
r than either the Whites or Silvers. 
Here. then, is the whole thing in a nutshell: They have 
the Cochin cross in them, and it has not only given them a 



better coat of feathers to protect them from the cold, hut 
has given them a docile, contented disposition, which means 
much to the bleeder who is trying to get every dollar he can 
out of his fowls from a commercial standpoint. I have no 
desire to boom this breed to the detriment of others, hut I 
can surely give them a strong endorsement. After six years' 
breeding them I am free to say that I do not know of a sin- 
gle variety that would be a better investment for the ama- 
teur just starting in, one who wants to handle one variety, 
and who does not feel like taking up some of the older 
breeds where there is so much competition, than the Buff 
Wyandotte. Neither do I know of a variety that would 
make a better cross on common fowls to increase the egg 
yield. THEO. HEWBS. 



SECRET OF SUCCESSFUL BREEDING. 



Danger of Crossing Strains— Selection of Dams Very Important— Careful Attention Necessary from Shell to Maturity. 



BY M. F. NORRIS, BREEDER, LEXINGTON, ICY. 



'NTENSELY interesting is the study of the art of 
breeding. While we learn much from experi- 
ence (really our best teacher), still we can learn 
many things from reading that it would take us 
years to learn from experience. There are still 
many secrets concerning the breeding of thoroughbred 
poultry and one of the chief of these is how shall we mate 
to produce Buff Wyandottes that shall be of extra merit in 





A PBIZK-WIN.VI.V, I!r;FF WYANLlOTTE COCKEREL, 
BRED AND OWNED BY MR. NORRIS. 



symmetry and color. The male bird at the head of the 
breeding pen should be symmetrical in shape, strong 
and vigorous — and he should be the offspring of a 
sire excelling in these points. Do not forget that 
the male bird has the greater influence on the color 
of the offspring, especially of the cockerels. If fine 
colored males be desired it is necessary that the sire be of 
fine color. By mating a good sire to his own progeny the 
good breeding qualities of the parent bird will he 
retained in the resulting offspring. 

Color and other desirable qualities may be in- 
tensified by judicious inbreeding. It is equally true 
that if a mistake is made in the selection of the 
breeding stock undesirable qualities may be repro- 
duced in an exaggerated form. Many persons en- 
gaged in raising poultry think that they must in- 
troduce new blood from a different strain each 
year, and so they go backward instead of forward. 
Nearly every breeder's birds differ in style and 
plumage. When these types are crossed some of 
the offspring resemble the male and some resemble 
neither parent. The second season such breeders 
usually get a male of a still different type and mate 
him to the pullets of different types. The result is 
that they have no good birds among the offspring, 
hardly any two chicks resembling each other. If 
you once get what you want from a reliable breeder 
buy your new blood of him. 

The dam should possess a strong constitution, 
prolific laying qualities and large size. We look 
to the dam to impart size to the progeny. She must 
he good in color of plumage, legs and beak. The 
ear-lobes and comb must also receive careful atten- 
tion. Above all she should he symmetrical in 
shape. Many times the breeding qualities of the 
dam are overlooked or underrated, which is a great 
mistake. 

After carefully selecting your Buff Wyandotte 
pens it is essential that your birds receive proper 
care and that the progeny be closely watched and 
carefully tended from the time they leave the shell 
until they reach full maturity. This is another se- 
cret in successful breeding that apparently is 
known to hut few breeders. M. F. NORRIS. 



78 



THE BLACK WYANDOTTES. 




IHB Black Wyandottes are the least popular of 
the Wyandotte family. The color has something 
to do with their unpopularity, but that is not all. 
The main trouble is that the breeders of the 
Blacks have never pushed them as they should. 
You can not hide a variety of birds and make it popu- 
lar. You must let the people know that you have it and 
let them know something of the good qualities of the 
birds. So far as utility is concerned, there is no variety in 
the Wyandotte family that leads the Blacks, and they will 
throw more show specimens than any of the other varieties. 
In some localities they are shown in sufficient numbers to 
warrant us in counting them in the varieties of Wyandottes, 
but in other sections of the country they are practically 
unknown and the few specimens that are shown are of poor 
quality and not calculated to attract any one who is looking 
for some variety to breed. 

I have discussed plans for bringing this variety more 
prominently to the front with several leading fanciers, but 
when the breeders of Black Wyandottes do not bestir them- 
selves it is hard for us to help them. If they will but make 
the effort they will find plenty of help in pushing this vari- 
ety to the front. We need some up-to-date cuts of this breed, 
either photographs or sketches, also true statements of their 
good qualities, both as egg and flesh producers. 

In shape the Black Wyandotte should be the same as 
Charts 1 and 2. They should be black in color, and must be 
free from any foreign color. The main trouble found in the 
color of the Black Wyandotte is the purple barring in neck, 
back, wings and tail. This is not a disqualification, but it is 
a serious defect and the new standard cuts one point in 



every section in which it appears. There is another defect 
which is quite often overlooked, and that is the color of the 
feet. The standard says they shall be disqualified if the 
bottom of the feet is any color other than yellow. This sec- 
tion is often missed by the judges, and for that reason exhi- 
bitors get careless about it. It is well to take care of this in 
time and get just as much yellow in the shanks as possible. 
The time will come when the standard will call for solid yel- 
low legs, and the breeder who is careful along these lines 
now will receive a rich reward then. 

For defects of shape, comb and other sections, see 
description of the Silvers, as what is said of them, except in 
regard to the color, applies to the black varieties as well, 
and the defects would be discounted in the same proportion. 

Black Wyandotte Female. 

This variety being so little known, one seldom sees 
really good specimens, though the best that have been 
shown for years were on exhibition at the Chicago Show of 
1898, and they seemed to awaken quite an interest. In color 
the females should be a rich greenish black in all sections. 
The shanks should be black, or black shading to willow or 
yellow; the bottoms of the feet must be yellow. The cut of 
one point in each section where purple barring appears 
applies to this breed the same as to any other black fowls, 
but I have found the Black Wyandottes very free from this 
defect. Where the purple barring does appear it is usually 
in the neck, back and wings, and the discount in each sec- 
tion must be one point. For defects of shape of any section 
or color of eye, the cuts are the same as in any other variety 
of Wyandottes. THBO. HEWES. 



THE PARTRIDGE WYANDOTTES. 



So Called from the Resemblance of Their Plumage to That of the Partridge Cochins — They are Wyan- 
dotte in Shape with Golden Penciled Plumage — Origin — Description. 



BY W. A. DOOUTTLE, BREEDER, SABETHA, KAN. 



o 




HE latest addition to the Wyandotte family is the 
Partridge Wyandotte. They were originated, as 
were the Goldens, by that true and honest fan- 
cier, Joseph McKeen, of Omro, Wisconsin. He 
first introduced them by an article and illustra- 
tion in the October, 1894, number of the Poultry Monthly, 
in which he stated that he had been breeding with this ob- 
ject in view, for a number of years. 

I had for some years bred the Golden and Buff varieties, 
getting eggs and stock from Mr. McKeen from time to time, 
as I believed his to be the best and the original strain of the 
Goldens. He did not originate any strain of Buffs, but as an 
honest fancier he endeavored to breed the best, and with his 



strain I managed to win a lion's share of prizes at the lead- 
ing western shows. 

Soon after Mr. McKeen's death, in 1896, I bought from 
his widow some of his choicest Goldens and Buffs, including 
the cock, Major McKeen, which won first for me at the great 
Mid-Continental and twice at Kansas and Nebraska state 
shows. I also took up the breeding of his strain of Part- 
ridge Wyandottes and I now have in my yards a male and 
female of this variety that came direct from his yards. The 
female was one of his own raising. 

In my opinion this beautiful variety has a great future, 
as the Partridge Wyandottes now breed as true as any of 
their sister varieties, and in fact are better in symmetry, 



77 



THK WYANDOTTES. 



arger and better bono, are free from feathers on 
shanks and toes, and all of thom have the true Wyandotte 

b, bright rod ear-lobes and yellow logs, l speak of the 
McKeen strain. 

In selecting breeding stock, either male or female, you 
should first soo that they havo tho truo Wyandotte shape. 
UD yellow legs and bright bay eyes. Tho oar-lobes and 
wattles should bo bright red. free from white, and above all 
do not permit in your brooding yards of any variety of Wy- 
andottes excepting the white, a bird having white in its 
plumage, for it will be more abundant in the offspring and 
once it is Introduced it is almost impossible to breed it out. 

As so mncb depends on the male bird great care should 
be taken in his selection. After satisfying yourself that he 
has the proper symmetry and that he has a good, full saddle 
rising with a concave swoop to the tail, which should not be 
too large or carried too high— then see that he has a broad, 
deep, well-rounded breast, in color greenish-black, free from 




PARTRIDGE WYANDOTTE FEATHERS. 
Taken from a Yearling Hen, Bred by W. A. Doolittle. 

brown or red, with a slate under-color. If there is red or 
brown in the breast of the male bird he will throw pullets in 
color and markings similar to a Brown Leghorn pullet and 
brown will predominate in the breast color of his male birds. 
If possible choose a bird which as a chick had a well-pen- 
ciled breast like that of the females and which had richly 
laced coverts. Such a male will produce well-laced females, 
and if his breast as a matured bird is glossy black free 'from 
red or brown, his males will also be properly marked. In 
this way good males and females are obtained from a single 
mating. 



His nook should bo short and well-arched with a large 
flowing hackle, in color red or orange red, with a distinct 
black stripe extending down each feather and tapering to a 
point near its extremity. His back should be short, broad 
and Hat at the shoulders — in color dark red. The saddle 
should be red or orange red with a black stripe down the 
center of each feather. The fluff should be slightly black; 
the primaries black on the inner web with a bay edge on the 
outer web; the secondaries black on the inner web and rich 
bay on the outer web, terminating with a black end on each 
feather. The wing coverts should be greenish black with a 
well-defined bar across the wing when folded. The tail 
should be black, the sickles being of medium length and 
glossy black, the tail coverts being a glossy, greenish black 
and they may be tinged with red. The comb should be of 
good Wyandotte shape, and I should not sacrifice other good 
points merely for the sake of the comb so long as it is rose. 
The best Golden Wyandotte cock as a breeder that I ever 
saw had a very bad comb. It was large and laid over to 
one side, but this defect was never transmitted to his off- 
spring. 

The females should be as well laced as possible, with a 
bright red or an orange red hackle having a broad black 
stripe extending down each feather and tapering to a point 
near the extremity. The . black stripe in the lower neck 
feathers should be penciled with reddish brown. The plum- 
age of the back should be abundant, under-color slate and 
the web of the feathers reddish brown, distinctly penciled 
with reddish black, the lines of penciling in all parts of the 
body conforming as nearly as possible to the shape of the 
feathers. The breast and body feathers should be marked 
the same as those of the back, except they should be penciled 
with black, the lacing to come well up to the throat. The 
fluff should be reddish brown in color, irregularly penciled 
with dark brown. The wings should be of the same color 
as those of the male, excepting the coverts, which should be 
the same color and have the same markings as the feathers 
of the breast. ' The tail should be well spread at the base 
and black in color, except two or more of the highest main 
tail feathers, which should be penciled. The tail coverts 
should be well penciled, similarly to those of the breast. 

The standard weights are the same for all Wyandotte 
varieties: Cockerel, seven and one-half pounds; cock, eight 
and one-half pounds; pullet, five and one-half pounds; hen, 
six and one-half pounds. I exhibited the Partridge Wyan- 
dottes last season at Washington, D. C; Chicago, 111.; Dav- 
enport, Iowa; Kansas and Nebraska state and other shows. 
As they are a new variety of Wyandottes I wished to give 
fanciers an opportunity to see them. 

W. A. DOOLITTLE. 



[Note— It must be remembered that Mr. Doolittle's re- 
marks refer only to the McKeen strain. The editor, a num- 
ber of years ago, saw In Mr. Ezra Cornell's yards at Ithaca, 
N. Y., Penciled Wyandottes also called Partridge Wyan- 
dottes, that Mr. Cornell had produced himself by indepen- 
dent crosses. Justice requires that we call attention to the 
fact that there is more than one good strain of Penciled 
Wyandottes and that some of them are not related to the 
McKeen strain. — Ed.] 



78 



NEW VARIETIES OF WYANDOTTES. 



Reproduced from Report of New York Tenth Annual Show in March, 1899, R. P. J. 



In new varieties of Wyandottes, not yet admitted to the 
standard, were Ira C. Keller's Buff Laced Wyandottes, the 
same birds he exhibited at Chicago, and two pairs of Golden 
Penciled Wyandottes shown by Ezra Cornell, of Ithaca, N. 
Y. Three years ago last summer when we first visited Mr. 
Cornell's poultry farm, we found him at work producing, 
by different crosses, two new varieties of Wyandottes, viz.: 
Golden Penciled and Silver Penciled. Last summer when 
we again visited Valley View Farm, we were surprised at 
the progress made. At Madison Square Garden our first 
good opinion of these birds was confirmed. Mr. Cornell's 
Golden Penciled Wyandottes are birds of true Wyandotte 
shape, including featherless legs and rose combs, having 
Partridge Cochin colored plumage throughout. The speci- 
mens exhibited by Mr. Cornell, both males and females, were 



substantially as good in penciling, striping and color as 91 
to 93 point Partridge Cochins. 

Herewith are presented photographic reproductions of 
breast and back feathers plucked from the females, and a 
hackle and a saddle feather (or rear back feather) plucked 
from the first prize cockerel. Mr. Cornell rejoices in the 
remarkable progress he has made in bringing these birds to 
a point of high quality. Another feature of these Golden 
Penciled Wyandottes is their size and weight. The pullets 
shown by Mr. Cornell weighed eight to eight and one-fourth 
pounds each, and the cockerels over ten pounds apiece. Mr. 
Cornell reports that now after several years' work with 
them, they breed quite true. He produced last spring a con- 
siderable number of birds well suited for breeding purposes. 

EDITOR. 




Breast (female) . Hackle (male) . Rear Back (male) . Back (female) 

SPECIMEN FEATHERS FROM EZRA CORNELL'S GOLDEN PENCILED WYANDOTTES. 




79 



THE PENCILED WYANDOTTES. 



A Prominent Breeder of These Binis Suggests Permanent Names for the New Varity of Golden and 
Silver Wyandottes— A Short Description of Them — They -will Request Admission 

to the Next Revised Standard. 



BY K/.KA CORXKI.I., BREEDER, ITHACA, N. V. 



The time seems at last to have ripened for the friends of 
Penciled Wyandottes to settle on names for these two new 
varieties of fowls. I call them Penciled Wyandottes here 
merely because I know of no other name which covers the 
two varieties, and not with any intention of forcing the 
name. • 

The Penciled Wyandottes consist of two varieties — the 
Goldens and the Silvers. The former is practically com- 
pleted, if I may use such an expression — that is to say, they 
are made, and are, in the hands of some breeders, producing 
as good specimens and as large a percentage of them as "are 
some of the old standard varieties. The Silvers were started 
at a later date and are, in consequence, not so far advanced, 
but they are coming and coming fast, and are sufficiently 
well developed to show what they will be. As a flock the 
Silvers are, to me. more attractive and showy than the Gol- 
dens, although the Golden males are more beautiful than 
the Silver males. It is difficult, however, to predict which 
of these two varieties will enjoy the greater popularity. The 
Goldens, as a rule, are larger than the Silvers, but the Gol- 
dens run above weight, and the Silvers, on the other hand, 
are the greater layers. 

It is natural that the Goldens should have fallen heir to 
the name Partridge as they have taken their color and 
markings from the Partridge Cochins, and are the only 
other variety of this plumage, but still this is not a sufficient 
reason for permanently adopting the name. The men who 
insist on this name seem to ignore the existence of the sister 
variety. If the Silvers had been first on the carpet the name 
Silver Penciled would without doubt have been given them, 
the same as it now has, for there seems to be no other ap- 
propriate name for them, and if the Goldens had not fol- 
lowed too closely on their heels, thus giving the name time 
to become established, they probably would have taken the 
name Golden Penciled with but little opposition. 

In naming a new variety of fowls it is, I think, best to 
give them the name which most nearly describes or classi- 
fies them. The name Partridge would not convey any idea 
to me of the plumage we have if I were not already ac- 



quainted with the Cochins. The Ruffed Grouse, which' is 
commonly called a Partridge, is far from this color and 
marking, and I know of no wild bird that is, although there 
may be. There is, however, a wild bird with a black and 
white penciling similar to the Silver Penciled Wyandotte 
female. I have shot these birds in the Adirondack woods, 
where they are called Black Partridges and sometimes 
Spruce Grouse. I am not acquainted with their technical 
name. 

One breeder wrote me that he objected to the name 
"Penciled," as it conveyed the idea of markings similar to 
those of the Penciled Hamburgs, but the Penciled Hamburg 
feathers are, more strictly speaking, barred, and I doubt if 
any breeder would once think of a Hamburg feather if talk- 
ing of penciling, nor would he classify such a feather as a 
penciled feather. 

I have written to a number of breeders asking tlieir ob- 
jections to the names Golden and Silver Penciled, and the 
above mentioned is the only objection I have received. I 
have also asked for a suitable name for the Silvers, if the 
name Partridge is given to the Goldens, but have received 
no suggestions. If any breeder will give us names for these 
two varieties which are better than those which Mr. Brack- 
enbury and I have adopted, you will find us only too willing 
to fall in line and give up the names we have chosen, but if 
there is nobody who can suggest better names, not for the 
one variety, but for both, is it not fair that the other breed- 
ers should fall in line with us and adopt the names Golden 
Penciled and Silver Penciled Wyandottes? 

While on the subject of Penciled Wyandottes I wish to 
add that I have been requested to draw up a standard for 
these two new varieties, to be adopted by the other breeders, 
but this seems like unnecessary work, as the standard is al- 
ready fixed for all varieties of Wyandottes, no matter of 
what color — so that the only thing left to do is to give a 
description of the plumage, and for this we can refer to the 
Partridge Cochin standard for a description of the Golden 
Penciled plumage, and to the Dark Brahma for that of the 
Silver Penciled. EZRA CORNELL. 




MS 




80 



DIRECTORY OF RELIABLE WYANDOTTE BREEDERS. 



KNAPP BROTHERS, Fabius, N. Y., 

breeders of pure white White Wyan- 
dottes and standard White Leghorns 
that are sure winners. Correspondence 
solicited. We can please you. 

B. G. SMITH, Elmira, N. Y., breeder 
of White Wyandottes, Rose and Single 
Comb White Leghorns. Winners at 
New York, Boston, Hagerstown, Buf- 
falo, Elmira, etc. Silver cup and many 
specials. Before purchasing ask for cat- 
alogue, sent free, and see the handsome 
shetches made from, life by Mr. Sewell 
and others. 

B. F. HISLOP, Milford, 111., breeder 
of high standard Golden Laced Wyan- 
dottes. Prize winners wherever shown. 
Satisfaction guaranteed. 

JOSEPH WALKER, Westboro, Mass., 

breeder Toulouse' and African Geese, 
White Wyandottes, White Plymouth 
Rocks, Pekin Ducks. Breeders and eggs 
for sale. Westboro Duck Farm. 

JOHN" OLD, Woodbine, 111., breeder of 
White Wyandottes exclusively, A. C. 
Hawkins strain. Stock and eggs for sale 
at reasonable prices. Correspondence 
promptly answered. 

I. S. DONNELL, Mansfield, Ohio, 

Buff Wyandottes and Plymouth Rocks 
exclusively. First and second prize win- 
ners at East Liverpool, Canton and 
Mansfield. Score 90 and 93, Bridge, 
Heimlich, McClave, judges. 

A. H. M'CLINE, Postmaster, Calla, 
Ohio, breeder of high scoring White 
Wyandottes, 92 to 96. Not a bird on the 
farm under 92. In the last three years 
competed for thirty-six first premiums, 
was awarded thirty-four. Eggs $1.50 per 
15. Stock and eggs for sale. Satisfaction 
guaranteed or money refunded. 

MRS. G. THOMPSON", Prophetstown, 
111.— Silver Laced Wyandottes a special- 
ty at Sunnyside Poultry Farm. Corres- 
pondence cheerfully answered. 

W. P. WHITNEY, Bridgewater, Ohio, 

For ten years a breeder of S. L. Wyan- 
dottes. Write me your wants. Will use 
you white or money refunded. 

F. M. MTJNGER & SONS, DeKalb, 111. 
American Poultry Farm. Twenty-five 
years experience in mating and breeding 
White Wyandottes— stay-white strain- 
Silver Wyandottes, Plymouth Rocks, 
Leghorns, Bronze Turkeys, Bantams, 
Belgian Hares, Jersey cattle. Stock and 
eggs for sale. Forty choice breeding 
pens. 

C. E. LULL, Fort Collins, Colo., breed- 
er of White and Buff Wyandottes. My 
birds have won many first premiums 
past eight years at state shows. Whites 
scoring 92 to 96; Buffs, 91 to 94. Stock for 
sale. 



THEO. E. F. HOLZHATJSER, Colum- 
bia, S. C, Silver Laced Wyandottes 
have the record of winning first prizes 
at shows such as Madison Square Gar- 
den, New York, Hagerstown, Asheville, 
N. C. ; Spartenburg and Columbia, S. C. 
Birds for sale at all times. Eggs in sea- 
son, $3 per 15. Broad River Poultry 
Yards. 

W. E. MACK, Woodstock, Vt., breeder 
of White and Buff Wyandottes. Birds 
bred for utility and beauty. Best brown 
egg strain of Whites in America. 

JOHN R. GARBEE, Billings, Mo., 
breeder of high class poultry. Golden 
Wyandottes, White Turkeys, White and 
Barred Plymouth Rocks. All standard, 

■ first quality. Circular free. 

L. H. P. NORTHRUP, Moberly, Mo. 

White Wyandotte specialist. Winners 
wherever shown. Eggs $3 per 15. Satis- 
faction guaranteed. 

ROWLAND G. BTJFFINTON, Fall 

River, Mass., breeder of Buff Wyan- 
dottes, Buff Plymouth Rocks, Buff Leg- 
horns, Buff Cochins and Rhode Island 
Reds. Also Buff, Black, White and Part- 
ridge Cochin Bantams. Send for circu- 
lar. 

L. B. WILLARD, Greeley, Colo., 

breeder of Buff Wyandottes. Winners 
in any competition. Choice stock for 
sale at all times. Write your wants. 



J. N. YOTTNG, Whitfield. 111., breeder 
and exhibitor of high grade White Wy- 
andottes. Write your wants. If I can't 
satisfy you I'll return your money. 

BROOKSIDE FARM, Nelson, Pa., 

breeder and shipper of all the varieties 
thoroughbred poultry, especially the 
White, Black, Golden, Buff and Silver 
Wyandottes. Write your wants. 

LUNT & CURTIS, Freeport. Me., 

breeders of White Wyandottes. We also 
breed Barred Plymouth Rocks. Eggs $2. 
Stock for sale. Prices on application. 

W. L. LONG, Marshfield, Webster 
Co., Mo., breeder of fine White Wyan- 
dottes for the past ten years. Stock and 
eggs. Prices reasonable. Circulars on 
application. 

CHARLES G. ARNOLD, Leland, 111., 

breeder of White Wyandottes exclusive- 
ly. Send for circular containing half- 
tones of my prize winners. It's free. 
Stock for sale. 

CLARK & TROLL, Box 225. St. 

Clairsville. Ohio, breed White Wyan- 
dottes and S. C. White Leghorns of su- 
perior quality. Birds of our own breed- 
ing are always winners wherever shown. 
Can please you in either stock or eggs. 
Try us. G. N. Clark, Charles Troll. 



G. N. KERSTEN, Chilton, Wis., 

breeder of the pure Duston strain White 
Wyandottes. Stock always for sale. 
Eggs in season. Satisfaction guaran- 
teed or money refunded. 

FRED G. MASON, Fabius, N. Y. 

Mason's Golden Wyandottes have won 
more first prizes during the last ten 
years than all competitors combined. 
Fine birds for sale. Eggs from grand 
matings, $3 per 13. 

NIAGARA FARM, Ransomville, N. 
Y. White Wyandottes, Mammoth Pekin 
Ducks exclusively. Eggs and stock for 
sale. Manufacturers Niagara Brand 
Green Cut Clover. Poultry supplies. 
Circulars. 

W. T. WHITEFORD, Barnard, Mo.- 

Golden Wyandottes. Winners with 
scores of 92% to 95. State your wants. 
Correspondence promptly answered. 

RALPH I. DTJNLAP, Jacksonville, 
111. It has ceased to be the question 
whether the White Wyandotte is a good 
variety or not, but who has the best. I 
keep the pure Duston strain direct. 

L. H. DAVIS, Port Jefferson, N. Y, 

breeder of Golden Wyandottes, winning 
prizes wherever shown. At Washington, 
1898, 1st cockerel, 1st and 2d pullets; 
Madison Square, New York City, 1st and 
5th pullets, 3d on cockerel; Danbury, 
Conn., 1899, 1st and 2d cockerels, 3 cock. 
Stock and eggs for sale. 



HENRY C. DAVIS, Manager Cum- 
maquid Poultry Farm, Box 127, 
Cummaquid, Mass.— White Wyan- 
dottes. Standard points and utility com- 
bined. Stock for sale. Eggs, $2 per 13. 
Circular free. 



V. CRABTREE, Tiflin, Ohio, the Buff 
Wyandotte breeder. My stock is a rich 
golden buff color and have always won 
prizes wherever shown. Circular free. 

M. F. NORRIS, Lexington, Ky.— Buff 
Wyandottes exclusively. Bred in line for 
ten years. Won first prizes at Illinois 
State Show, 1898, and Chicago, 1899. 
Stock and eggs in season for sale. Cir- 
cular shows record. 

W. M. LAYSON, Waukesha, Wis., 

breeder of White Wyandottes exclusive- 
ly. Duston, Knapp, Hawkins and Mc- 
Cormick strains. Satisfaction guaran- 
teed. Stock and eggs. Write me for 
prices. 

A. & E. TARBOX, Yorkville, 111., 

North Side Poultry Yards. Silver and 
Buff Wyandottes. Stock for sale at all 
times. No eggs. Fine illustrated circu- 
lar. 

G. H. SUNDERMAN, Beardstown, 

111.— White "Vv yandottes. Fine, vigorous, 
farm raised, up-to-date in size and qual- 
ity. Stock at all times. Eggs in season. 



T11K WYANDOTTES. 



MAPLE ROW FARMS. St. Johns- 
Vt.. .1 c .v \ 6 Underwood, 
- 
I '•> : als, 

and White Mus< ks. 



HENRY E. VOIGT. Proprietor The 
ekn Poultry Farm. Hamburg. 
U .> ,i shipper or Partridge 

R C. B. Leghorns, Barred Ply- 
- per Laced am) Golden 
Black Wyandottes, White 
ler Fowls, Toulouse Geese, Mam- 
moth Bronse Turkeys, Rouen Geese, and 
•r.aii Pigeons. Eggs for hatch- 
ed young stork for sale. Write for 
what you want. Circulars and catalogue 



D. LINCOLN ORR. Orr's Mills. N. Y. 
makes White Wyandottes a specialty 

for utility, eggs and mora, riirds that 
are right up to the standard ami farm 
raised, strong ami vigorous. Ho is also 
a leader in White Indian Games and 
Light Brahma Bantams. Should you 
want anything in the above mentioned 
vaneiios write him. No harm done if 
you don't buy. Get his catalogue, any- 
how. 



DR. A. A. HOWLAND, Worcester, 
Mass., breeder of White AVyandottes 
that win first prizes in New York and 
Boston. Write for what you want. 



K. S. TRIMBLE, North Middletown, 
Ky. — Silver Wyandottes exclusively. 
Winners at Cincinnati, Ohio, Pittsburg- 
Rock Island. 111., Coving-ton and 
Louisville, Ky. Won for customers at 
Indianapolis, i n d., Waco and Houston, 
Texas, and many smaller shows and 
fairs throughout the United States. 
Stock for sale. 



J. E. MEYER. Kossuth. Ontario, Can., 
Breeder of Silver Laced Wyandottes. 
During the past fourteen years mv birds 
have won more prizes at the leading 
shows than all others combined. They 
have the true open-lacing and hold Hi h 
color. The very best English blood in- 
troduced. The last importation of twen- 
ty birds arrived from England in 
August. A few cockerels of this impor- 
tation for sale. Cockerels and mated 
pens that will improve your flocks and 
start you right, my specialty. I also 
breed Buffs and Whites. 



ARTHUR G. DUSTON. Marlboro, 
Mass. 1 have boon a firm advocate of 
White Wyandottes tor some years, be- 
cause they have boon proved the best 
all-round fowl in existence. i have 
proved their practical qualities and have 
had such success in the show room, at 
such Shows as Boston and Now York, 

and in my customers' hands all over the 
country, that I can claim my strain to 
bo at the top. Write for my catalogue 
before ordering. 



S. M. STOWELL. Alden, N. Y. -Fif- 
teen years a breeder o( Wyandottes, 
White and Buff. I make a specialty of 
raising utility and exhibition birds. 
Write for particulars. Pear Park Poul- 
try Yards. 



FRANK E. WHITE, Marion, Ohio- 
White's Golden Wyandottes have won 
first prizes at Finley, Toledo, Cleveland, 
Carey and Chicago under all the leading 
judges. I have a grand lot of choice ex- 
hibition birds for sale. Clean open cen- 
ters, wiili rich golden color, low combs 
and correct shape. 



JOHN W. YATES, Burnett Junction, 
Wis., breeder of White Wyandottes 
(Duston strain), Barred and White P. 
Rocks, Buff Cochins, Imperial Pekin 
Ducks, Hallock and Pollard strain di- 
rect. Write for prices. 



B. A. SHELBY, Webster Groves, Mo., 
(a suburb of St. Louis), breeder of high 
class White Wyandottes. I have suc- 
ceeded in establishing a stay-white, 
brown egg, prolific laying strain that I 
recommend to be as good as any on 
earth. Satisfaction absolutely guaran- 
teed. 



MRS. J. H. POSTLETHWAIT, Eloom- 
mgton, 111.— Buff Wyandottes (prize 
winners). Score, 92y 2 to 94% points, by 
Hewes and Pierce. Buff to the skin 
Birds for sale. Eggs in season. Write 
me. Satisfaction guaranteed. 



C. R. POWERS & SON, Randolph, 
Mass., breeders of the Prime Albus 
strain of White Wyandottes. Winners 
at the leading shows. Write for circular. 



MRS. GEORGE M. HANLY, Hoopes- 

ton, 111., breder of first-class Silver 
Wyandottes that have laced wing bars 
and strong under-color. Eggs and stock 
for sale at a- times. 



W. T. VAN ORDER, Piano. 111., 

brooder of blue ribbon S. L. Wyan- 
dottes, M. B. Turkeys and Pekin Ducks. 

W. B. DOAK. Russellville, Term 
Maplehurst is paying special attention 
(o White Wyandottes— the prince of 
broilers and show birds. Always plump. 
lay brown egg s early and often. 

CHAS. BAXTER, Fremont, Wash., 

brooder of White Wyandottes, pure, 
thoroughbred and healthy, first and sec- 
ond prize. Stock and eggs for sale in 
season Correspondence answered 



C E. WHITE, Fox Chase, Philadel- 
phia, Pa.— White Wyandotte specialist. 

HENRY STEINMESCH, St. Louil 

Mo.— ''The Laced Wing Bar" is found 
to perfection in the Steinmesch strain of 
Silver Wyandottes. Stock for sale at all 
times. Eggs in se ason,. $3 for 13 straight. 

M. B. BLAUCH, Lebanon, Pa., breeder 
of White Wyandottes. If you want 
strictly up-to-date White Wyandottes 
shall be pleased to hear from you. At 
the great New York show, February, 
1SSI9, in the hottest competition, we won 
first cock, second and third hens, second 
cockerel, first and second pullet, with 
six entries. Booking egg orders now. 
Lebanon Poultry Yards. 



IRA C. KELLER, Box 6, Prospect, 

Ohio, breeder of line bred, up-to-date 
Golden Laced, Buff i^aced and White 
Wyandottes. Also Sebrights. Large cir- 
cular. 



DR. NATHAN W. SANBORN, Wel- 
lesley Hills, Mass.— Buff Wyandottes. 
Fine stock. Average for 1899, 200 eggs. $2 
per sitting. Breeding birds at fair 
prices. 



IRVING CROCKER, Seneca Falls, N. 
Y. Sixteen years experience with Silver 
Wyandottes, Buff Plymouth Rocks and 
Rhode Island Reds, the business fowl of 
the century. 



I. & N. M. CONNER, Ponca Poultry 
Yards, Ponca, Neb.— Silver Laced Wy- 
andottes exclusively. Symmetry, extra 
large birds of best breeding and laying 
qualities possessing the standard wing 
bow, our specialty. Our birds have 
practically open range. Stock for sale 
at all times. Eggs in season. Corres- 
pondence solicited. Satisfaction guaran- 
teed. 




when wnrriNG to these iskeedkrs 

KINDLY XKI/L THEM WIIBHKTOIISAW 
THEIB AIIVKiniSEMK.VT 



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